Fall From Innocence
by ForeverSmiles
Summary: SEQUEL TO DESPERATION. Big changes are coming for Gordie, Chris, Teddy, Vern, Willow, Paige, and Jayme. And they're not sure they like them. Teddy/Willow, Chris/Jayme, Gordie/Paige, Vern/?
1. Cutting Down the Treehouse

***Willow's POV***

This is the worst day of my fucking life.

"But they can't _do _that!" Vern protested.

"Yes they can," Chris said with a sigh.

"This sucks balls," Jayme stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

Gordie, Chris, Teddy, Vern, Jayme, Paige, and I. All seven of us were there. All seven of us were there when they tore the treehouse down.

We begged and pleaded, trying to explain how much the treehouse meant to us. How we had smoked and played cards up there for years, our friendships slowly building as we became a gang. How the treehouse was where Teddy and I had our first real kiss, where Gordie realized Paige was more than just my little sister, and where Chris told Jayme he loved her. We begged them to have a heart, but the construction workers just shook their heads and said, "Sorry, kids," and then took out their chainsaws and started hacking away at the tree.

Our arms were loaded with all the stuff that used to be in the treehouse: playing cards, our smokes, girly magazines, my guitar, the table and stools we used to play cards, etc.

With a large roar, the chainsaw met the trunk of the tree and ripped through the wood, making the entire thing shake. It kept at it until, with a splintering crack, the tree tipped over and our treehouse was smashed to smithereens.

The seven of us stared sadly, silently at the pile of woo that is now our treehouse.

Construction workers spanned out, chopping down more trees to make room for a parking lot. That's right. They destroyed our treehouse to build a fucking parking lot.

"Come on, guys," Paige murmured, sadly, tugging at mine and Gordie's arms.

"Let's go," Jayme agreed and one-by-one, we left for our houses.

Teddy and I walked side-by-side to our homes with Paige trailing behind, neither of us saying anything. What was there to say?

When we approached our houses, Teddy kissed me on the cheek and murmured, "See you tomorrow," before heading inside.

Xxx

"I hate my life," Jayme announced as she came stomping up to the counter at Blue Point Diner for her shift. "_So _much. I mean it."

"Uh-oh. What happened?" I asked.

"Maddie happened."

"Oh God. What did she do?"

Ever since last year, Maddie and Jayme have been having a—what's the word?—fued. It started off with petty little arguments and nasty remarks like Maddie calling Jayme a slut and Jayme reminding Maddie that she's bitter and alone. I never thought it would get any more serious than that until Jayme took out the big guns—bragging about how she and Chris slept together and mocking Maddie about how she never got that far. So Maddie turned around and told Jayme's dad what Jayme said, who got grounded and temporarily banned from seeing Chris. Then, when her punishment was lifted, Jayme told Maddie's parents about how their perfect daughter wanted to have sex with Chris at fourteen, which ultimately got _her_ grounded. Correction, locked away in her room.

Now it was Maddie's turn to retaliate.

She invited my dad and Chris and me to dinner last night…_so we could meet her new boyfriend!_"

"Her new boyfriend? Hold on. Isn't she still grounded?" I asked.

"No! Because according to Aunt Melinda and Uncle Roger, their precious Maddie can do no wrong! GOD, I HATE MY LIFE!" she screamed, making everyone in the diner stare.

"Okay, _you _need to calm down," I said.

"Yes. And _both of you_ nee to get to work!" Bertie cried.

"Sorry," we quickly apologized and actually did our jobs, saving the gossiping for when our shifts were over.

So now the two of us are walking back to my house, the August sun beating down on our heads.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?" I asked.

Jayme sighed before she started to explain: "So my dad, Chris, and I show up at Maddie's house for dinner when who should answer the door? Jamie Gallant, with Maddie hanging all over him and batting her eyelashes and flipping her hair in that annoying way."

"Gag me," I said, shoving a finger down my throat. "I just can't believe someone as cool and badass as Jamie Gallant would go out with someone as shallow and annoying as Maddie."

"I know. And throughout the entire evening, she laughed at everything Jamie said and made googly eyes at him and everything. She even made this remark about us having the same name. I believe her exact words were: 'That's _so _funny! Sort of like you have a boy's name, huh, Jay? Cuz that's so un-feminine, you know? It sort of fits!'"

"Bitch."

"Tell me about it. And to make it even worse, I asked Chris what he though about my name and he got all quiet and fidgety."

"Uh-oh."

"So I told him to tell me the truth and he told me he didn't like it, but he was trying to be nice about it, you know?" I nodded. "And I asked why and do you know what that tool said? That he doesn't like my name because when he tells people he's dating a girl named Jayme they either think that he's gay or I'm imaginary."

I giggled.

"Willow! It isn't funny!"

"It kind of is, dude."

"You're not the one with a dude's name. God, what was my dad thinking when he named me?"

"He probably wanted a boy."

"WIL! NOT HELPING!"

"Sorry."

"I fucking hate Maddie. It's her fault Chris and I are fighting. She's evil," Jayme said as we reached my house.

"Hey, you don't have to convince me. I know she's evil," I pointed out. We walked inside to find Paige and Gordie making out on the couch.

"Oh, gross!" Jayme yelled.

"Jesus Christ, if you two are that jacked up on hormones then I'll just rent you a motel room," I offered, getting ice cream out of the fridge.

"Thanks, Wil," Gordie replied, sarcastically.

"No problem. Just don't get her pregnant."

"GUYS!" Paige moaned.

"What? I'm just trying to help you out! You don't want to be pregnant for your first year of high school, do you?" I teased.

"UGH!" She stormed upstairs and Gordie shot me a death glare before following her, calling, "Paige! Don't be mad!"

"God, where is her sense of humor?" I asked, laughing.

"Maybe you're just not funny," she replied.

"Ooh, ouch."

"Sorry. This whole thing with Chris is still bugging me."

"Then go talk to _him_ about it, retard."

"Do you think I should?"

"GO!"


	2. Fights, Lots of Them

***Third Person: No One's POV***

"What do you guys have planned for this weekend?" Vern asked Gordie, Chris, and Teddy as the four of them squeezed into a booth at Blue Point Diner.

"Nothing," Chris pouted. "Jayme's mad at me."

"Oh yeah. That fight that Maddie provoked," Teddy said, smugly.

"Provoked? I'm surprised you even know what that means," Chris replied and Teddy shot him the finger.

"What about you guys?" Vern asked, looking from Teddy to Gordie.

"Paige has to hang out with her mom's friend's kids all weekend, so…no," Gordie said.

"I'm taking Willow down to Togus with me and my mom this weekend. I'm re-introducing her to my dad since she's my girlfriend now," Teddy explained, proudly.

"Okay. So, if you want, Vern, Chris and I will hang out with yo—" Gordie started, but Vern cut him off.

"Can't! I have a date!" he chirped.

"Dude. Cindy dumped you, what? Two weeks ago?" Chris guessed.

"One and a half, actually."

"Dude."

"What? It's not like she's gonna find out."

"Castle Rock is a small town. She'll find out."

"Alright, assholes, here's your food," Willow said, putting it in front of them.

"Thanks, Wil," they all chimed before digging in.

"Anyway, so what?" Vern continued their conversation. "_She_ dumped _me!_ Her loss!"

"What are you talking about?" Willow asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Vern-o has a date," Gordie explained.

"Damn, dude. Didn't Cindy dump you like, yesterday?" she asked.

"A week and a half ago, thank you very much."

"Whatever. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to listening to Jayme bitch about what a douchebag Chambers is," she said and walked back to the counter.

"_Crap,_" Chris grumbled, receiving smirks from Gordie, Teddy, and Vern.

"Chambers, what'd you do?" Teddy asked, smirking.

"So? What happened? Were they talking about me?" Jayme asked, eagerly as Willow walked back to the counter.

"No, freak. They were talking about Vern's date," the redhead replied.

"Oh," Jayme replied, frowning.

"What? Do you want Chris to be talking about you behind your back?"

"Well…no. But he should be miserable about our fight!"

"Oh My God," Willow said, sighing. "You do not understand relationships at all, do you?"

"Look who's talking!" Jayme cried.

"What does that mean?"

"All you and Teddy do is hang out as friends and fool around and stuff. I bet you guys haven't even had your first real fight yet."

"We have too," Willow replied, defensively.

"Petty little arguments that last five minutes don't count, Wil," Jayme pointed out.

"Well so what if me and Teddy don't fight? Doesn't that mean our relationship is going well?"

"I just think it's not normal if couples don't fight. Fighting is _healthy._ Fighting with the one you love brings you closer together."

"Whatever, Jayme. All I know is that you're on your own now. Go pick up Chris's check like a big girl instead of sending your friends to do it for you," Willow snapped and went to take a young couple's order.

*Paige's POV*

I walked into the Blue Point Diner and saw Willow and Jayme cold-shouldering each other. _Yikes. Don't want to get in the middle of that drama,_ I thought and made my way over to the booth where Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern were sitting.

"Hey, guys," I said, shoving Teddy over (who squashed Vern against the wall) so I could sit.

"Hi, Paige," they all said, Teddy and Vern glaring at me.

"What's going on?"

"Chris was just telling us about his and Jayme's fight," Vern explained.

"Really? What happened?" I asked.

"Jayme came over to my house to make up after our first fight but my dad's been on a mean streak lately and I said some things I shouldn't have," Chris grumbled.

"Liiiiiike?"

"Like that I was sick of having to deal with Maddie drama because they're cousins."

"Ooh, that's bad," I said.

"That's not even the worst part," Teddy added, smirking.

"I might've also said…that Jayme is more like Maddie than she thinks she is and that sometimes I think it's not worth being together if Maddie's always going to be there, sabotaging everything."

"Damn, Chris. You messed up big time," I stated, trying not to show how amused I was.

"Something else happened…that I didn't tell you guys…" Chris murmured.

"What happened?" Gordie asked.

"This is gonna be great," Teddy cried, grinning.

"Jayme sort of brought up when I cheated on her with Willow," Chris's eyes darted over to Teddy, who was glaring at him now. "and I told her that I wasn't sorry."

All eyes were on Teddy, who crossed his arms over his chest and was glaring daggers at Chris. _Oh shit,_ I thought, remembering all the trouble I caused that day. Or rather, the trouble that Chris and Willow caused but I exposed. It's still party my fault.

"Oh, you're not?" Teddy snarled.

"Of course I am, Teddy. Come on, man, I just said that to Jayme cuz I was mad. I wasn't even gonna say anything but…" Chris trailed off.

"But what?" Teddy pushed.

"I don't know. I just thought that Jayme might say something to Willow and that might cause problems…between you two. And I know that this weekend is really important to both of you, with your dad and everything—"

"Willow and I are _fine!_" Teddy snapped, standing up. "Okay? Any problems we have are _our_ problems and it's none of your business, Chambers. I don't need your help." I quickly got out of the booth, giving Teddy room to leave. He stomped out the front door, slamming it so hard that the little bell broke off.

"What the hell was that?" Willow asked, coming up to our table as I slid back into the booth.

"Chris was being a dumbass and reminded Teddy of when you guys kissed," Gordie said and I rolled my eyes at my boyfriend. What a delicate way to put it.

"Chris…" Willow mumbled, sadly. "You know he gets upset when people bring up the kiss. Especially you."

"I know, Wil, I'm sorry. I don't even know why I brought it up," Chris replied.

"Well…I guess I could go talk to him after my shift is over," she said, smiling tightly and then quickly walking back to the counter.

"Great," Chris grumbled.

"Well you shouldn't have brought up the kiss. You know how Teddy is," I said.

"Yeah, thanks, Paige. I think I got it," Chris replied, snarkily.

"Hey, hey, hey, you guys," Gordie said, holding his hands up. I could tell that he wasn't sure who he should be sticking up for. "calm down."

"Yeah!" Vern chirped. "Quit worrying about Teddy and Willow! Let's go back to talking about my date. None of you even asked me who it's with." Everyone laughed at that.

"Who are you going out with this weekend?" Chris asked, grinning.

"Alison Dale! Can you believe that? I can't believe I bagged _another_ cheerleader after Maddie!"

"Wow, Vern, I'm impressed. Alison's hot," Gordie remarked and I kicked him under the table.

"I liked Cindy better. She was sweet. I just know that Alison's going to be exactly like Maddie," I said.

"Proves what you know. Maddie was the head cheerleader but Alison's one of the lesser cheerleaders. You know, the kind that popular cheerleaders won't talk to," Vern explained and we all stared.

"It's scary, really, that you know that. And sad," Chris said while everyone smirked at Vern.

"Shut up! Maddie told me all kinds of things like that when we were dating."

"Yeah, sure, Vern."


	3. Reassuring Teddy

***Willow's POV***

As soon as the clock struck four, I bolted out of Blue Point Diner to find Teddy, feeling sick to my stomach. I hated thinking about the kiss and regretted it with every fiber of my being. _God knows how Teddy must be feeling…_

I ran down the streets toward Teddy and mine's houses. Since they tore down the treehouse that's probably where he would be.

Panting, I stopped when I got to my street, to catch my breath. And I was right: there Teddy was, sitting on his porch.

"TEDDY!" I screamed, but he didn't hear me. I shoved my hands in my pockets and walked up to his house, loping up to him.

"Teddy?" I asked and he looked up, smiling at me softly.

"Hey, Wil."

"What are you doing?" I asked, noticing something in his hands and I sat down next to him.

"Look." Teddy handed me a pile of pictures from when we were little kids.

There's one of Teddy and me when we're four years old, playing with G.I. Joe's in his room. His mom took it on the day that we met. There's another one of Chris, Gordie, Teddy, Vern, and I at six. I have pigtails in and the boys have scabbed knees and mismatched socks and baby faces. The last one is of Chris and me at five, holding hands in our Sunday clothes, the day that the two of us pretended to get married.

I handed the first two pictures back to him and ripped the one of Chris and I in half.

"Chris doesn't mean anything to me. You're the one I love. You're the one I'm going to marry for real," I said and I kissed him on the cheek.

Teddy sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"And you _know_ you can trust me," I said.

"I know."

"So why'd you get upset?"

"It's Chris I don't trust. I just get jealous sometimes."

"Well don't be. Chris would never try anything. And even if he did, I would just tell him to back off."

Teddy grinned. "That's my girl."

Xxx

"Alright, Paige, when Sam and his kids arrive tomorrow night, make sure you're _polite_, okay?" Mom asked as she served Paige and I spaghetti for dinner.

"Mom, are you blushing?" Paige asked, studying her face. "Oh My God, you are. You like this Sam guy!"

"Oh, gross," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, Paige, that's ridiculous," Mom said, sitting down at the table.

"Yeah. Mom's a whore, she can't fall in love!" I cried and Mom smacked me on the back of the head.

"I am _not_ a whore, Willow, I'm a stripper! There's a difference!" she snapped and I scoffed.

"Yeah, sure."

"Mom, you totally like this guy. I can tell," Paige said.

"Willow, are you sure you can't make it tomorrow night?" Mom asked me, ignoring Paige. "It would mean a lot if you were there."

"Sorry. Teddy really has his heart set on me going with him to Togus this weekend."

"Well, alright, honey. We'll all miss you."

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said, sarcastically.

"Mom, do I have to go to this dinner tomorrow? It's the last Saturday night before school starts. I want to do something fun," Paige complained.

"Tomorrow night _will_ be fun. And besides, Gloria and Lenny are counting on you being there."

Gloria and Lenny were Sam's kids. Gloria is my age and Lenny is a year younger than Paige. I've only met them a couple of times but I already know that they're two of the weirdest kids I've ever met. Which is why I'm glad I'm not gong tomorrow night.


	4. Visiting Togus

"Hey, Wil. You ready to go?" Teddy asked me. It was the next morning and I brought my suitcase next door as Teddy and Mrs. Duchamp were getting ready to leave for Togus.

"Sure am," I said, giving Teddy a kiss and then he took my bag to put it in the car.

"Hi, Willow. I'm so glad you're coming with us this weekend. Teddy's so excited," Mrs. Duchamp said, walking up to me and smiling.

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited too. I haven't seen Mr. Duchamp since I was eight," I replied.

"Okay, guys. You ready to go?" Teddy asked and we nodded. Mrs. Duchamp sat in the driver's seat while Teddy and I sat in the back.

"I can't wait for you to see my dad again," Teddy whispered in my ear. "I know your last memory of him wasn't so great."

I nodded, remembering hearing Teddy screaming from next door and me sprinting outside, crying as Teddy got wheeled away in an ambulance, his ears looking charred and un-humanlike. I remembered Norman Duchamp getting taken away to Togus and my mother holding me back while I was screaming and crying, not to mention trying to squirm out of her grip to go see if Teddy, my best friend and the boy I had been massively crushing on for four years, was okay. Pretty fucking melodramatic for an eight-year-old, right?

I also remembered that Teddy cried when his mom told him where his dad was being sent because of the incident and that for years, he was convinced it was his fault. That was the worst part, I think.

"Yeah," I agreed, quietly.

"He's not that guy anymore, I promise. That was just a bad year for him and he's getting better, I _swear._"

"Teddy, you don't have to convince me," I replied.

He smiled. "Right."

Xxx

Teddy flinched when he looked at the sign in front of the big, white building: TOGUS MENTAL HOSPITAL. I could tell it killed him for his father to be locked away in a place like this.

"Come on, you two," Mrs. Duchamp said, smiling and gesturing us inside. Her smile was fake. It killed her too.

I clutched Teddy's hand as we walked down the hallway. This was one of the creepiest places I'd ever been in my entire life. It was worse than hospitals and they smelled like death. This place rotted of crazed minds and broken dreams.

"Here we are," Mrs. Duchamp said, opening a door marked 241. Teddy and I followed her inside.

Norman Duchamp looked almost exactly the same as I remembered him. The only thing that was different was his black, slicked back hair was starting to gray. He had the same serious face and the same angry look in his eyes, eyes that had seen too much.

He remembered me, too, because he looked me up and down and said, "Willow." I hope I look a little older than he remembered me. Haha.

"Hi, Mr. Duchamp," I replied, smiling as Teddy snaked his arm around my waist. Mr. Duchamp noticed that and frowned, slightly. He was sitting in a cot in his own private room. "Umm…how have you been?"

"Fine."

"Hey, Dad," Teddy said. "You remember Willow, don't you?"

"Of course," Mr. Duchamp replied with a fake smile to please his son.

"I brought her down to see you because we're dating now," Teddy explained.

"Oh really? How long?" Mr. Duchamp asked and Teddy looked at me for an answer.

"Nine months. A year in November," I said.

"You've been dating this girl for nine months, Teddy, and I'm just hearing about it now?" There was a mixture of anger, sadness, and disappointment in Teddy's father's voice.

Mrs. Duchamp disappeared to go get us snacks, sensing the tension in the room. Teddy shifted, uncomfortably, not wanting his dad to be mad at him.

"I've talked about her before…remember? And we've both been really busy…" Teddy rambled on.

"And we didn't want to tell you about us until we got serious. You know, until we were sure we would last," I cut in, saving Teddy, who nodded in agreement with me.

"Oh. Well, that makes sense, I suppose. But I wish you would tell me things, Teddy, I want to be include in your life," Mr. Duchamp said, smiling and Teddy lit up.

It was weird. My entire life (or at least after _the incident_), I had hated Norman Duchamp. Even now I didn't particularly like him. But at the same time, I desperately wanted him to like me. Like I said, it was weird.

The rest of the day was awkward. The four of us made small talk and listened to Teddy's dad complain about being here. Around dinnertime, Mrs. Duchamp took Teddy and I to check into a motel. When Mrs. Duchamp left to go get dinner and Teddy and I were alone in our room, I turned to him and said,

"I don't think your dad liked me very much."

"No shit," he replied, angrily.

"What's wrong?" I asked, confused. Why was he mad at _me?_

"Nothing."

"It doesn't seem like nothing."

"So now you care about me?"

"What the hell does that mean? Of course I care about you."

Teddy sighed and shook his head. "Never mind."

"No, tell me. I wanna know. Why do you think I don't care about you?" I pushed, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I just think that you could have tried harder to get my dad to like you. You knew this was important to me and you should have tried harder if you really cared about me."

"_What?_ So now it's my fault your dad doesn't like me? I _did_ try, Teddy, I really did!"

"Whatever, Wil. Just forget it," Teddy grumbled.

"_Fine!_" I yelled, angrily and plopped down on the bed we were supposed to share. "You're sleeping on the couch."


	5. Surprises at Dinner

***Paige's POV***

_I bet Willow is having more fun than me, _I thought, pouting as I played with my dinner. My mom was flirting with the Sam guy, Lenny was making googly eyes at me and Gloria was chattering away, going: "Where's Willow?"; "Too bad Willow couldn't be here!"; "I wish Willow was here!"

Well, I wish Willow was here, too, bitch.

I silently cursed my mother for making me go to this. I wished I was out with Gordie. I wondered what Willow and Jayme were doing.

"Paige, are you okay?" Lenny asked, staring at me and poking my arm. He was practically drooling. He should at least try to control himself.

"I'm fine," I grumbled, sinking lower and lower in my chair.

"Are you sure, honey? You haven't touched your dinner," Mom said, staring intently at me.

"Maybe it's because you can't cook," I snapped, proud of myself for coming up with such a good comeback. Like something Willow would say.

"Hey!" Sam yelled. "Show your mother some respect!"

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "Whatever. I'm going to my room."

Sam's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you were excused, young lady. Sit down until everyone finishes their dinner."

I suddenly got a burst of confidence. Who did this douchebag think he was? "You can't tell me what to do! You're not my dad!"

"Actually, Paige," Mom said. "This is what this dinner was all about. Sam I are…well, we're dating."


	6. Consequences

***Jayme's POV***

_I bet Willow is having more fun than me, _I thought, pouting and suddenly felt bad for taking cheap shots at her and Teddy's relationship. To be honest, sometimes I was jealous of what they had.

_I bet even _Paige _is having more fun than me. And she's at some boring dinner with her mom, some guy, and his creepy kids._ And what am I doing? Sitting in my room, staring at the wall because everyone else is busy.

Teddy and Willow are at Togus, Paige is at that dinner, Vern's on his date, and Gordie is—well, I don't know. The only one available is…Chris. I sighed and got off my bed, heading for the door. It was time to go make up with my boyfriend.

Sure, I was still mad about what he said and his words _really_ hurt but…I was tired of being angry.

"Dad, I'm going out! I'll be back later, okay?" I called, heading to the front door and my dad called back, "Okay!"

I walked along the streets to Castle Rock, humming to myself as I got closer and closer to Chris's house. When I got to the house, an old, angry-looking blonde man came stomping out. He resembled Chris, so I knew this was the dreaded Mr. Chambers.

"Fucking no good son! Who does he think he is? THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME?" Mr. Chambers screamed at the house and then got into his car, roaring down the street.

"Honey, wait!" Mrs. Chambers cried, running out of the house and into the yard, tears welling in her eyes.

Chris appeared in the doorway, glaring after his dad. He was limping and clutching his side, with blood gushing out of his nose and mouth and a black eye.

Before I knew it, I was screaming his name and flying into his arms, nearly knocking him backwards.

"Chris, what happened?" I sobbed, all my anger at him melting away.

"My dad happened," he grumbled and nearly fell over in wooziness.

"Chris! You need to go to the hospital!" I yelped, fearfully. Chris just sighed. Their only car was gone and it didn't look like his mom, who was crying in the yard, was going to help him.

"I'll be fine, Jay," he murmured and spit blood on the floor.

"_No! _I'm calling my dad right now to pick us up!"

"Jay, we don't have a phone. We can't afford one, remember?"

Nothing was going to stop me from getting Chris the help he needed. I was determined.

"We'll walk to my house then! It's only a few blocks away and then my dad can drive us," I said, grabbing his hand. "Come on."

"Jayme—"

"COME ON!" I screamed and he let me drag him down the street.

My head was spinning. How could someone do this to their own son? And then I realized that I didn't know how this had been provoked or what Mr. Chambers had been yelling about.

"Chris…why did your dad do this to you?" I whispered, afraid to hear the answer.

"I enrolled in the college courses with you and Paige and Gordie. And my dad found out and now he says that I think I'm better than him," Chris explained in a whisper, stumbling along behind me.

"He did this to you because you're trying to make a better future for yourself?" I asked, dumbfounded, and then screamed: "WHAT AN ASSHOLE!"

Chris smirked. "I know, right?"

We reached my house and I begged my dad to take Chris to the hospital, which wasn't hard when he _saw_ how badly beaten up Chris was. On the way over, I tried to talk to Chris, to keep his mind off the pain.

"Why did you enroll in the college courses? What do you want to be when you grow up?" I whispered to him.

"A lawyer," he replied. "What about you?"

I smiled. "An artist."

We got to the hospital in record time and Chris was rushed into intensive care. _This can't be happening,_ I thought as tears slipped down my cheeks.


	7. I'm Sorry's & Explanations

***Willow's POV***

I was staring up at the ceiling, Mrs. Duchamp's soft snores filling the entire room. I could hear Teddy trying to get comfortable on the couch.

"Fuck it!" he snapped, stomping towards the door and leaving our hotel room without another word. It only took me a few seconds to decide to go after him.

After five minutes of searching, I found him sitting on the curb in front of the motel, smoking a cigarette. _What should I say?_ I thought, frowning.

"Teddy, it's cold out here. You should go back inside."

"I'm fine," he grumbled and I sighed, sitting down next to him.

"I'm sorry for how things turned out," I admitted.

"Yeah, me too," he agreed and then flicked his cigarette on the ground. "Sorry I was being an ass. I wasn't really mad at you. I was just…"

"Upset?" I guessed and he nodded.

"Yeah. Cause I know how everyone thinks of my dad, like he's just some nut job. And I was afraid that that was how _you_ thought of him…"

"Oh baby," I whispered. "You know me better than that."

"I know," he muttered. "But I just don't get it. Why people think of him the way they do." Teddy cleared his throat and I could tell he was fighting back tears. "Because I mean, my dad stormed the beach in motherfucking Normandy! And people _should_ give him their respect but they don't. And they _should_ be proud of him but they're just _not!_ I don't _fucking_ understand!" Teddy had stopped fighting the tears and he was hiding his face in his hands while he cried.

Suddenly I fully and completely understood why Teddy got so mad when someone said something bad about his father. And I felt bad because until now, I had been none of the people who thought of Norman Duchamp as 'just some nut job'.

"I'm so sorry, Teddy," I whispered in his ear as I hugged him tight.


	8. Willow's Stalker

Things were fucking chaotic when Teddy and I got back to Castle Rock. Chris was in the hospital, Paige was yelling at me about that stupid dinner, Vern is complaining about ruining his date, and Jayme is in hysterics about Chris. It seems like the only one who hasn't completely lost their mind is Gordie.

"Okay, okay, Jayme, slow down!" I cried as the brunette tried to explain what happened while she, Teddy, and I were waiting outside Chris's room at the hospital.

"It was _horrible, _Wil! I've never seen anything like it! Chris looked so…_broken!_ And his dad…he was scary, Willow. It was the worst day of my life," she explained.

"Chris is tough. He'll be fine," I reassured her, using the same words I had used to reassure myself so many times before.

At that moment, Gordie, Paige, and Vern approached us. Vern sat down next to Teddy and started telling him the story of how his date with Alison went wrong. Gordie went with Jayme in the room to check on Chris. Paige screamed in my ear,

"WILLOW! MOM'S DATING SAM!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Paige. What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Mom. Is. _Dating._ Sam. She told me at dinner," Paige explained.

"Oh, come on. You're joking, right?"

"I kid you not."

My insides went cold. My mom…had a _boyfriend?_ And I had only met Sam a couple of times to know that he was a complete asshole. This couldn't end well.

And boy, was I right.

**Xxx**

"Paige, come on, we're gonna be late for school!" I called, trying to rush my sister down the stairs the next morning for the first day of school.

"Hold on, Willow. Paige, stop right there!" Mom called after the blonde who was running to the door. "Sam will be here any minute with Gloria and Lenny. You're carpooling with them since they're going to your school now."

"They _are?_" Paige cried.

"Mom. Teddy and I were going to walk together. Besides, carpooling is for fags," I said, glaring at her as Sam pulled into the driveway in his piece of shit car.

"You've seen Teddy all weekend. _And_ the entire summer before that. He can go one morning without you," Mom argued, sternly.

"Fine! But it's _one_ morning!" I snapped and stomped out the door, Paige on my heels.

Lenny was in the passenger seat and Paige climbed in the back with Gloria. I saw Teddy standing on his porch, staring curiously at me and I walked over to him, everyone's eyes on me.

"What's going on?" Teddy asked.

"My mom is making me and Paige carpool with Sam, Gloria, and Lenny. They're going to our _school_ now. Gag," I moaned.

"Can't you blow it off?" Teddy asked, taking my hand in his.

"I sincerely think that Sam will tail us down in his car."

Teddy laughed, softly. "Okay. I guess I could just walk with Vern-o. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," I replied and Teddy kissed me, and for a looong time too.

"You'd better get going," he said and I nodded, walking back to Sam's car and getting in the back.

"Was that your _boyfriend?_" Gloria asked, squashing me against the window as Sam backed out of the driveway.

"Yes, Gloria," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Oh My Gosh! Of course _you_ would have a boyfriend. And the way he just _kissed_ you like that? It was too cute! _I'm jealous!_" she gushed and Sam scoffed.

"It was degrading. He had his hands all over you in a public area. I should have a talk with that boy."

"It's none of your business!" I snapped.

"You _are_ my business now. And that is the same for anyone you date," Sam replied, angrily.

"Fuck you," I snarled.

"I am _family _now. And in my family, we don't talk to other family members like that."

"It's a good thing we're not really family then, huh?" By now, Sam had pulled into the parking lot of the high school and Paige, Gloria, and I got out.

"_Shit,_ Willow! That was too cool!" Paige cried and I grinned.

"I know, right?"

"My dad _does_ mean well. You should cut him a break," Gloria said and I turned to stare at her. Was she still here?

"Uhh…shouldn't you be getting to your locker or something? I have to show Paige around," I said and Gloria's eyes lit up.

"It's my first day, too, you know! You can show us _both_ around!"

And that's how I got stuck with Gloria stalking me the entire day. She even hunted me down during lunch.

Gloria took the extra seat next to Jayme, smiling brightly at me. "Hi, Wil!"

"Umm…that's Chris's seat," was all I could say.

"Well if he's not here, I can take it right?" she asked and started digging into her vegetarian lunch.

"He'll be back next week," Jayme replied, coldly. "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"Didn't Willow tell you? My dad and her mom are dating! So we're almost like, step-sisters!"

"Hey, what about me?" Paige asked.

"Oh yeah! You too, Paige, of course!"

"So, umm…" Gordie said, trying to shake off the surprise of Gloria. "Paige, how was your first day as a freshman?" 

"Ugh, I don't want to talk about it," she moaned and everyone else (besides Gloria) laughed.

"That bad, huh?" Teddy asked, smirking.

"People threw pennies at me!"

"I would tell you that it gets better, but…it doesn't," Gordie said. "Actually, it gets way worse." Paige groaned and buried her head in his neck and the rest of us cracked up.

"Don't worry, Paige. At least you have something other freshmen don't: sophomore friends!" Vern piped up and she smiled.

"That's true."

"So where's Chris?" Gloria asked and everyone went quiet. Sure, bring that up again, why don't you?

"He's in the hospital," Teddy answered.

"Oh My God! Why?"

"Car accident," Gordie lied. We weren't about to reveal Chris's biggest secret to some creepy girl we just met.

"Jeez! Is he okay?" Gloria asked.

"He's fine!" Jayme snapped.

"Oh. Well, good!"

"She's too happy. It's creepy," Teddy whispered in my ear and I giggled.

"Tell me about it."


	9. When We're Alone

"I hate my fucking life," Paige said and I nodded in agreement.

Sa, Gloria, and Lenny were moving in with us. And Paige and Gloria were moving into my tiny-ass room because Lenny insisted on having the bigger one—Paige's.

"How are we going to fit three beds in here?" I asked.

"I can't be around Gloria 24/7. I just can't," Paige stated.

I shuddered. "I can't even think about it. I'm going to Teddy's.

Xxx

"So now," I paused to take a drag on my cigarette. "Gloria decided it isn't enough to stalk me at school, but she has to stalk me at home, too." Teddy and I were lying, naked in his bed after forty-five minutes of sex, and were now smoking cigarettes and talking.

"Wil, the only thing I'm hearing is that you will be coming over a _lot_ ore for sex. So in my mind, Gloria moving in with you is a good thing."

"You're an asshole, Teddy," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, come on. I was joking," he pleaded.

"I don't wanna go back there," I pouted. "I don't wanna leave."

"Then don't. Stay here forever and ever!" Teddy cried and attacked me; kissing my neck and making us both drop our cigarettes.

"Teddy!" I squealed. "Get off!"

There was a knock on the door. "Is everything alright in there?" his mother called.

"Uhh…yes," I called back, pushing Teddy off e.

"Well, alright, kids!" I heard her walk away and let out a sigh of relief.

"Relax. She wasn't gonna come in," Teddy said.

"How do you know?"

"She respects y privacy."

I sighed. "I'm jealous. Sa wants me to give him a planned-out schedule of what I do all day, every day."

Teddy laughed and reached down to touch my vagina. I thought he was going to finger me but he stopped and smiled. "Your pubes are red. They're cute." Then he planted a kiss on my cheek.

"You act different when it's just the two of us," I said. "You make me feel special."

"You are special," he replied.

"Like that. You would never say shit like that to e in front of the guys."

"So?"

"I' just saying that I like when you're like this," I told him, smiling. "Last week, a guy came into the diner and told me I was the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen and gave me his number."

"What does he look like?" Teddy snapped. "I'll kick his ass."

"I don't remember and I threw away the number."

"Well, the guy was right about the gorgeous part," he said, smiling at me. "But you're taken. Sucks for him."

"It sure does," I replied and kissed him. The next question just popped out: "Is Chris the reason you get jealous so much?"

Teddy hesitated before nodding. "I get jealous of Vern sometimes, too."

"_Vern?_ Me and Vern? Are you kidding?" I cried, laughing.

"You went with him to that dance," Teddy reminded me, pouting.

"That was just as friends."

"Not to him it wasn't."

I just sighed. "I'm not going anywhere, Teddy."

"Willow, are you in he—" Gloria started, opening the door and Teddy and I scrambled to get the covers to cover our naked bodies.

"Gloria! _What the hell are you doing here?_" I cried, trying to gather up all y clothes.

" —"

"Shit! Your dad's here? Shit, shit!"


	10. Crazy Drunks at the Crazy, Drunk Party

"Come on, Wil, it will be _fun!_" Jayme begged me. It had been a week since Gloria, Lenny, and Sam moved in with me and all three of them were driving me insane. Jayme was trying to convince me to come to her party this Saturday night to take my mind off it. "Everyone's coming. Gordie, Paige, Teddy, Vern, even Chris. He gets out of the hospital today. And the DeSpain tw—"

"_Okay!_" I yelled. "I'll go! God."

"_Yeeess!_" Jayme cheered. "It wouldn't be the same without you, Wil!"

"I know."

**SATURDAY NIGHT**

"Shh! Come on, you guys are so loud!" I hissed at the giggling drunks all around me. "Someone's gonna call the cops on us!"

"Wil, relax," Teddy said, stumbling up to me. "Dance with me!"

"Teddy, you're wasted," I said as my boyfriend grabbed me around the waist and rested his head on my shoulder.

"Yeah! And you should be, too!"

I sniffed. _Ew. Alcohol breath._ "But if I was wasted, who would take care of you?"

Teddy sighed into my neck. "I love you, Willow. You're my bestest friend and I love you so much."

"I love you too, baby," I replied, stroking his hair and then I turned to Chris. "Talking to a drunk person is like talking to a retarded three-year-old."

"Tell me about it," he said, grinning. "It's fun being the only sober person because you get to see everyone else get fucked up."

"HEY, GUYS!_" _Marty DeSpain screamed and everyone shushed him.

Everyone was drunk except Chris, even me. But most of us at least knew what was going on. Marty, Paige, and Teddy, however, were messed up.

"Paige! Paige, stop it. Keep your shirt on!" Gordie cried, trying to keep my little sister from taking off her top while trying to hold his beer at the same time. Paige is what you call a naked drunk. As soon as she gets drunk enough, she wants to strip all her clothes off.

"_Have gun will travel reach the card of a man…_" Jayme sang, smiling as she took another swig from her beer. Aah, the singing drunk. One of the funniest of all drunks.

"Jay? You alright?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," she replied. "I'm not _that_ fucked up."

"I gotta take a piss," Teddy announced, hi s head shooting up.

"Go in the grass," John DeSpain suggested.

Jayme shook her head, vigorously. "No, Teddy, gross! You're gonna kill my grass!"

"He's gonna kill half the lawn!" Vern cried, gleefully.

"_Shut up, you guys!_ My dad's sleeping, remember? He doesn't know we're drinking!" Jayme hissed as Teddy stumbled over to the grass (we were all in Jayme's backyard).

"Oh, gross," Gordie said. "Shield your eyes or you'll see Teddy's chili pepper."

"Fuck you, Lachance," Teddy shot back as he pulled down his pants and started peeing. "At least I don't have a little needle point pick."

"Oh, what now?" I asked, giggling.

"Poor Paige. She has to get touched with the needle point dick," John said, smirking. Gordie glared at him while everyone else laughed. Paige was too busy trying to take her shirt off again.

"Woo! Titties!" Marty yelled. "I wanna see Paige's titties!"

"Fuck off, Marty, that's my girlfriend!" Gordie snapped and helped Paige put her shirt back on.

Teddy pulled his pants back up and stumbled backwards, and ended up lying on the floor and moaning.

"Baby, you alright?" I asked, sitting in a chair next to him, partly to see if he was okay and partly because I wanted the world to stop spinning.

"I'm tired," he whined.

"Go to sleep then."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Then Teddy was out like a light. Whether he was passed out or sleeping, I'll never know.

"Oh My God, you guys," Vern announced, holding up his hands: one had a beer in it and one didn't. "We should go skinny dipping."

"No way, you drunk," Jayme replied. "We just got that pool a month ago. I don't wanna dirty it up with naked bodies."

"I wanna go," Paige slurred, trying to take her shirt off again.

"No, you're not going. Not unless everybody does," Gordie said.

"I'll go," Chris offered.

"Me too," Marty cried.

"I'm in!" John agreed.

"Woo hoo! Skinny dipping!" Vern yelled, whipping off his shirt.

"Jayme? Are you gonna go?" Gordie asked as everyone started stripping down to their underwear.

"Fuck no. That's disgusting," she said, sitting down next to me.

"Wil?"

"No," I replied, quietly.

"Why not?" Chris asked.

"I don't want to go swimming," I lied. "Paige can go, though, Gordie. Just keep an eye on her."

Everyone stood by the pool and started taking their underwear off.

"Oh, gross, I just saw Chris's dick," I said, disgusted.

"I just saw the side of Vern's dick," Jayme said. "And I think I saw a nut."

We both started cracking up as Vern jumped in the pool and Marty screamed, _"You're gonna take all the water out of the pool, Shamoo!"_

"They're being so fucking loud. And it's after midnight. What if someone calls the cops on us?" Jayme asked, sighing and then asked me, "Why didn't you go? I thought for sure you would've gone skinny dipping."

"And I would've, if Teddy had been awake and going with me. But having Teddy wake up and see me naked in a pool with a bunch of other guys is not a risk I'm willing to take," I explained.

"Oh, that's right!" Jayme whispered. "Teddy would flip out."

I nodded. "Exactly."

"Do you remember the last party? When we waxed Vern?" Jayme asked and we both burst out laughing again.

"Yeah! We waxed his nipples and the hair grew back all patchy!" I said, giggling.

"MARTY! KNOCK IT OFF!" Gordie screamed and a splash was heard as someone got shoved over. Jayme and I ran over to the pool where Gordie and Paige were getting out.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Marty keeps fucking hitting on Paige and getting too close to her," Gordie snarled.

"Marty, quit it, dude," Chris said. "That's Gordie's girl. That's fucking not cool."

But Marty was too drunk off his ass to care and just burst out laughing. Gordie and Paige started getting dressed while Jayme and I stood at the edge of the pool.

"He's being too loud!" Jayme hissed to Chris as John got out of the pool. I shut my eyes, not wanting to see his dick. Chris told Jayme he would take care of it and then swam over to Marty, who was yelling and splashing around.

"Marty! Marty, I have to tell you something, bro to bro. From Chris to Marty," Chris said, and Marty stared at him. "You've _got_ to be a little quieter, man."

"Are you my father? _Are you my father?_" Marty yelled.

"Shh! No!"

"Then you can't tell me what to do! I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU!_"_

"Oh God," Jayme whimpered. "He's gonna wake my dad up. My dad's gonna kill me!"

"Marty! Chill out, dude!" Vern was trying to get Marty to be quiet now, too. Marty just tore away from him and tried to get out of the pool but he was all wobbly. Chris and Vern went after him and John came over here to control his brother. I could hear Gordie comforting a crying Paige.

"Chris!" Jayme cried, obviously as angry as I felt. "I want him out of here! He's being too fucking loud and he's scaring Paige!"

"We can handle him. Just get Paige inside," Chris said.

Marty let out a scream and ran headfirst into the fence, falling backwards. Paige screamed and I ran up to her.

"Gordie, go help them! I've got Paige," I said and Gordie ran off.

"I wanna go inside!" Paige whimpered, flinching as Marty screamed again.

"Go up to my room and try to go to sleep," Jayme instructed.

"I don't want to go alone!"

"You'll be fine, I promise. The guys are taking care of it. Just get in my bed and try to get some sleep."

It took a few more minutes to convince Paige before she finally went inside. Now Marty was lying on the floor while Gordie, Chris, Vern, and John surrounded him and yelled at him to shape up.

"Jayme, I really think we should go get your dad," I said when Marty pulled out his pocketknife.

"The guys are handling it," Jayme replied, quickly.

"No, they're not. Are you kidding me? They have no idea what they're doing. You said it yourself, your dad used to be a marine. He'll know what to do!"

Marty screamed again before Jayme could answer and started kicking and poking Teddy, who was still passed out.

"Leave Teddy alone!" I screamed. _"Get the fuck away from him!"_

"What the fu—" Teddy murmured, sitting up.

"You're a failure, Teddy!" Marty screamed at him. "You were sleeping during the mission! _What kind of soldier are you? YOU'RE A DISGRACE, DUCHAMP! The mission failed because of you! Everyone's dea—"_ That was when Chris punched him in the face. Marty went flying and his knife flew out of his hand, which Jayme quickly grabbed.

"I just wanted to knock him out to get him to shut the fuck up," Chris said.

But it didn't work because Marty was back on his feet again in seconds, screaming and crying and yelling, "Where's my knife?" Not to mention Teddy was being held back by Chris and John screaming, _"I'm not a disgrace! I'm a great fucking soldier! How dare you talk to me like that? I'll kill you! I'll fucking cut your throat, you little pussy!"_

"Jayme! Wake up your dad! _Now!_" I yelled.

"He'll be pissed if he knew we were drinking!" she moaned.

"_Are you fucking kidding me?"_

"Let's go check on Paige," Jayme said, dragging me behind her. I could tell she didn't want to see any more of this. Which was okay because I needed a break from it myself.

Jayme led me up to her room where Paige was curled up under the covers. She was dozing off but woke right up when she saw us. I glanced at the clock: 2:18am.

"What's going on?" Paige asked.

"Marty's still running around, screaming. He pulled out a knife but everyone's okay. We got it away from him. Marty woke up Teddy, though, and he's screaming, _"I'll kill you!"_ It's not a pretty sight," I explained.

"So what you're saying is things have gotten worse. Way worse," Paige concluded and Jayme nodded.

"_Willow!_" Vern called.

"That's my cue," I said. "Jayme, stay up here with Paige." Then I ran down the stairs.

Vern was standing over Teddy, who was rocking back and forth, crying and whimpering, "I want Willow."

"Where's Marty?" I asked.

"Chris, Gordie, and John locked him in the basement," Vern replied.

"Go tell Jayme and Paige what's going on. I'll take care of Teddy," I instructed and Vern nodded and disappeared.

"Teddy?" I whispered, kneeling down next to him. He latched onto me as soon as he saw me.

"Willow!" he sobbed. "I let the terrorist get away! And I disobeyed orders. The terrorist was right, I'm a bad soldier! I'm a disgrace! My dad would be ashamed." I just shushed him and led him to the couch where I let him cry on me.

"_I'm a disgrace!_" he half-sobbed, half-screamed. "I'm a defect soldier. My dad will spit on me. OhGodohGodohGod." I shushed him and stroked his hair and kissed him on the top of the head until he was quiet.

"I'll understand if you don't love me anymore, Wil. No girl wants a defect soldier for a boyfriend," he whimpered.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I still love you, Teddy, I'll always love you," I reassured him; gently rubbing his back and then realized the truth in my words. Talking to a drunk person _was_ like trying to talk to a three-year-old.

Teddy rested his head against my chest and started snoring. The worst was over.


	11. The Morning After

"_What the hell?_"

Drowsily, I sat up and saw Jayme's dad standing in the middle of the room, where Teddy, Gordie, and I slept on the couch, Vern was sleeping on the kitchen table, and Chris and John were sleeping on the kitchen table. Slowly, we all started to wake up.

"What's going on?" Teddy mumbled, sitting up.

"You got drunk last night," I whispered. "Be cool."

Chris quickly explained what happened and Mr. Guchini frowned.

"Where is the little bastard now?"

"We locked him in the basement last night," Gordie said.

"He still there?"

"I think so."

**Xxx**

"…I don't ever want to see your face on my property again. You're just lucky that no one came and got me because I would've _beat the shit out of you, boy!_" Mr. Guchini yelled at a terrified and very hung over Marty. "I would've tied you up and gagged you and had you hanging from the tree like a human sacrifice!"

"Yes, sir," Marty replied.

"You don't believe me? Just ask your friend, Jayme here!" he gestured to his daughter. The entire house was awake now.

"It's true. He would," she said.

"I believe you, sir."

"Did you know that someone could've called the cops? I could've been in serious trouble for having, how many? Nine underage teenagers drinking in my backyard!"

"I'm sorry, sir."

"And what about this young lady?" Mr. Guchini asked, pointing at Paige. "Your friends told me all the obscene things you were saying to her. _Apologize right now!_"

"Yes, sir," Marty said and turned to Paige, trembling. "I'm sorry, Paige."

"It's okay," she murmured.

"Do you know that you made her _and_ my daughter cry last night? Not to mention you pissed all your friends off! How dare you come onto my property and act like that? My daughter—the one who was kind enough to invite you here in the first place!—wanted you gone and you disrespected her wishes by staying!"

"I'm sorry, sir."

"For future references, when the host of any house you're at wants you to leave, you leave! Whether you're drunk or sober!"

"Yes, sir."

"You are _so _lucky no one came and got me. _So fucking lucky._"

"I know, sir."

"Alright," Mr. Guchini said and I saw the marine part of him start to leave and Jayme's kind-hearted dad started coming back. "I'm calling your parents to come pick you and your brother up. The rest of you, get out of here." He turned to Jayme. "I'll talk to _you_ later." She gulped.

"Come on," I said, grabbing both Paige and Teddy's hands and dragged them out the door. Gordie, Chris, and Vern started walking the other way.

"I never knew Jayme's dad could be so scary," Paige said.

"He was so cool," Teddy stated, smirking.

"He was just pissed," I told Paige.

"Was he really a marine?" Teddy asked, slapping a hand to his pounding forehead.

"Yeah," I replied.

We finally approached our houses, and all three of us stood on the porch.

"I'm gonna go to bed. My head is killing me," Paige said and disappeared up the stairs.

"Thanks for taking care of me last night," Teddy whispered and kissed me, softly.

"No problem," I whispered back. "It's what girlfriends are for."

"Willow?" Sam said, appearing next to me. "It's time to say goodbye to your boyfriend."

"Goodbye, Teddy," I said.

"Goodbye, Willow," he said and kissed me. Then he left and went next door.

"I don't like him," Sam stated and I rolled my eyes.

"I don't care."

"What did he mean by _'Thanks for taking care of me last night'_? I thought you and Paige slept over at Jayme's last night."

"We did."

"Were there boys there? They were there, weren't they? The whole lot of them. Your mother and I wouldn't be very happy if you slept with the Duchamp boy."

"I don't give a flying fuck!" I cried and tried to push past him, but he grabbed my arm.

"_Look at me when I'm talking to you!_" Sam snapped.

"Ow! Get off me!" I yelled.

"What's going on here?" Mom asked, approaching us. Sam quickly dropped my arm.

"Nothing, Robin. Everything's fine," he said.

"Oh. Okay. Willow did you and your sister have a good time at Jayme's?" she asked me.

"Robin, I think they invited their boyfriends. You're their mother so I thought you should know," Sam said.

"_What?_" Mom cried and I squeezed my eyes shut. My head hurt so fucking bad. "Willow, how could you? You're too young to be having sex! Oh, and _Paige!_ Oh My God…"

"I told you those boys were no good," Sam said.

"_No boys came over, alright?_" I screamed. "You're just being paranoid!" I sighed. "Look, I'm tired. I'm going to bed." I climbed the stairs up to my room and saw Paige snoring on the bed and Gloria bouncing up and down, waiting to talk to me.

"Willow! You're home! Paige just came in _and passed out._ If she sleeps all day, she's gonna be up all night! My Go—"

"Gloria!" I snapped. "I'm tired."

"_Nooo!_ You can't go to sleep, too! Then who am I going to talk to? Lenny? Gross! No wa—"

"_Gloria! I'm tired and I'm hung over! I just want to go to bed!_"

"Oh," she said, looking hurt. "okay. Goodnight then." I flopped down on my bed as Gloria left the room and fell asleep in an instant.


	12. Teddy's Revenge

"Teddy, where the hell did you get that?" I asked, excitedly as he held up something wrapped up in a brown paper bag.

"Does it matter?"

"I guess not."

Teddy took out his lighter and lit the substance, letting the weed enter our system.

"Do you remember the last time we smoked pot? When we first met Jayme?" Teddy asked and I nodded, giggling.

"I can't believe it's been so long! _I love this stuff!_"

We were smoking pot way back into the forest, behind where the tree house used to be, where no one would find us.

"_This will be our spot," Teddy had whispered to me when he first showed it to me. "Just ours. No one else's."_

"And I love you for getting me some. You're my hero," I said, squeezing Teddy close to me in a hug. "And someday you'll be the hero of millions, Corporal Teddy Duchamp."

"Damn straight!" he cried and we both started laughing—the weed was kicking in.

"I just thought you needed to relax. I wanted to help," Teddy said with a sigh.

"Well, thank you."

Getting high with Teddy is like pure bliss. I never wanted it to end. _This should be a daily thing._ And I honestly didn't see anything wrong with that.

**Xxx**

"Do you know what I just thought of?" I asked Teddy as we walked back to our houses from the woods, hand-in-hand. "When Maddie always looked so shocked and disgusted when she saw my house. Like she was surprised that the Burroughs were dirt poor. I guess when I told her I was "poor as shit" she thought that meant we can't buy a new car every year."

"Hey now," Teddy said. "You're making it sound like you live on the poor side of town. And if you live on the poor side of town, that means _I_ live on the poor side of town. And I'm not _that _poor."

"Oh, Teddy, you naïve boy," I replied, laughing. "It doesn't get much poorer than us. In fact, the only person poorer than us is like…Chris." Teddy groaned but that just made me laugh harder.

"Let's talk about something else," Teddy suggested. "Like my plan to get back at our dear friend, Milo Pressman."

I raised my eyebrows. "Milo Pressman, the junkyard guy?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

Teddy looked at me like I was crazy. "Don't you remember what he said about my dad all those years ago? You didn't think I was just going to let that go, did you? Oh no, something like that can't go unpunished."

"Teddy…not that it's not a cool idea and everything, but…it's been almost four years."

"I've been plotting."

"For four years?"

"Precisely."

"Why are you talking like that?" I asked.

"Like what?"

"Like an old man. Or a smart person."

"Hey!"

"You know what I mean," I said and then flashed him a grin. "You're using big words and it's scaring me."

Teddy smiled at me and then asked, "Are you ready to hear my plan or not?"

"I guess."

"There's this old motorcycle that Milo's been fixing up at the junkyard—"

"How do you know this? Have you been stalking him?"

"—and he's fucking obsessed with the thing. I think he's going through some kind of midlife crisis or something. Old fart. So—"

"Oh God, you _have _been stalking him, haven't you?"

"—I figured he must love this thing like the wife he was too ugly to get. So why not steal the bike and crash it? Like fucking beyond—"

"You're going to get yourself killed, you crazy asshole."

"—repair? Then leave some kind of menacing note."

"Boss," I said. "but I still don't understand how this took you four years to come up with."

"I had to wait for something important enough to him to come along. At one point, I was so desperate that I considered killing Chopper," he explained.

"_You were gonna kill Chopper?_"

"I'm a crazy sumbitch. Don't fuck with me," Teddy said, pointing at himself and wiggling his eyebrows.

"So that's your whole plan?" I asked.

"No. I told Jayme my plan and she thought it was cool and suggested that I crash the motorcycle into Maddie's new car."

"Maddie has a new car?"

"Well, not yet. Jayme said that Maddie's parents said they were buying her one for her sixteenth birthday. So now I just have to wait."

"Do you even know when Maddie's birthday is?"

"Wil, Chris dated the girl for two years and even _he_ doesn't know when her birthday is," Teddy pointed out and I laughed.

"So true," I said and then sighed. "It's October 16th."

"No shit? You really fucking remember when Maddie's birthday is?"

"Sadly yes. And not only is this her Sweet Sixteen, it's also her golden birthday so there will probably be this huge fucking party."

"Oh great. I can't wait to _not_ get invited to that."

"But you'll be the party crasher," I said. "You'll be the one crashing your motorcycle into the side of Maddie's fancy-shmancy car as revenge. And you'll be getting back at Milo Pressman and totally burning Maddie for Jayme. It's like hitting _three_ birds with one stone."

"Fuck, that's right!" Teddy cried, excitedly then glanced over at me. "Speaking of Sweet Sixteens, what are you doing for yours?"

"Try nothing."

"Really? No party?"

"I don't like parties."

"You love parties."

"Okay, fine. I don't like birthday parties," I argued. "And my birthday is the same day as our one-year anniversary. And that's much more important to me than some stupid party."

"I could take you out to dinner again," Teddy suggested and I smiled, remembering our first date, after Teddy kissed me in the tree house. But then I rolled my eyes at him, remembering the details of the date.

"Teddy, you took me to the diner that I work at because you knew Bertie would let us eat for free because you're a cheap bastard."

"We had a burping contest and then blew straw wrappers at each other and then made out under the table. It was fun," Teddy said, pouting.

I had to laugh. "Okay, it _was_ fun. And I don't care what we do this year. Whatever you have planned."

"I guess I'll have to plan something then, huh?"

"I can plan something if you want."

"No, no, it's your birthday. I'll plan something. Oh yeah and _I won the burping contest!_"

"Yeah, but this year, you're going _down,_ Duchamp!"


	13. Sexy Truth or Dare & Jealousy

"I have an idea for a game!" I cried, giggling as Teddy took another smoke on the joint. We were getting high in our special placein the woods after school the next day.

"What is it?" Teddy asked.

"Sexy Truth or Dare."

"Sexy," he said and I started cracking up, but he just looked at me weird. I don't think he realized the irony.

"I'll go first," I suggested. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

"I dare you...to masturbate in front of me."

"Lucky you," Teddy said, and then stuck his tongue out at me.

"Whatever. Just get your pants off, mister!"

"I've longed to hear those words for so long," he joked as he yanked down his pants and boxers. Teddy's slightly-larger-than-average penis stuck out and I giggled. Probably from the marijuana, though, because I had gotten used to the sight of "Teddy Jr." a long time ago.

Teddy curled his fingers around his penis and started yanking before he got into a smooth, steady rhythm. He started grunting and moaning with his head leaned back and his eyes closed. He seemed to be reacting a lot better than when I did it, I would've been upset and slightly pissed if I wasn't so goddamn stoned.

Teddy finally pulled his pants back on after he came and then crawled over to sit by me, a mischevious smile on his face.

"How can you do that in front of me?" I asked.

"Hey, it was a dare! Besides, having you here just made it so much hotter!" Teddy cried.

"You're a pig."

"Plus all those years of masturbating to the picture of you I have in my room helped it be less weird."

I rolled my eyes. "Teddy! Gross!"

"I can't help that you're so boo-e-ful," he whispered in my ear and I giggled.

"You said the word wrong."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!" Teddy stopped me from talking by pressing his lips to mine.

"Truth or dare?" he whispered into my lips.

"Truth."

"Do you want to do it with me right now?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

***Paige's POV***

"Paige, Gordie's at the door!" Mom called up the stairs and I bolted for the door. Gloria was boring me with stories about a guy at school who she may or may not like.

"Who's Gordie?" Lenny asked, stopping me in the hallway.

"My boyfriend! Move!" I shoved past him and ran down to Gordie.

"Hey," Gordie said after giving me a quick kiss.

"Hi," I replied, pulling him out the door.

"Is your house really that bad?" he asked.

"You have no idea."

"Marty told me to tell you he's sorry about hitting on you at that party," Gordie said.

"I think being in high school is making me more appealing to men. First Marty, not to mention Lenny probably has a shrine to me in his room-" Paige started but Gordie cut her off.

"What? Lenny has a thing for you?"

"Well...yeah, it's pretty obvious."

"What the hell? Since when does Lenny like you?"

"Gordie..." Paige said. "Chill out, okay? I don't have any interest in those guys. I like _you._"

Gordie just glared ahead, and seemed to be deep in thought and eventually softened, where he then took me to the Blue Point Diner, where it was Jayme and Willow's shift but only Jayme was there. Bertie seemed pretty shocked that Willow wasn't there. She always comes to her shifts.

I glanced over at Gordie in our booth. He seemed to have gone back to normal. Why was he getting so jealous lately? He was acting like...Teddy.


	14. Through Teddy's Eyes

***Third Person: Teddy's POV***

"Do you want to, umm...maybe go out with me sometime?" Hayley McMillan asked him, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. The only thing Teddy could think was, who was this chick? Something clicked in his mind and he remembered her sitting behind him in science class.

"I have a girlfriend," he blurted out. It had become instict to utter that very phrase every time a girl came up to him-which, surprisingly wasn't that often.

"Oh. Really? Who?" Hayley asked, surprised. Was it really that surprising to her that he was already taken? Bitch.

"Willow Burroughs."

"Oh. Sorry, I-I didn't know that." Hayley tuned to go but then turned back to look at him. "Why her?"

_Why her?_ Teddy racked his brain for an answer, one that would explain everything that she meant to him.

_**Age 4**_

_Teddy rearranged his G. I. Joe's to form a perfect army line, his bare eyes scrunched, struggling to see. There was a knock on his door and his mother called his name. Teddy turned around and saw his mom standing in the doorway with a little redheaded girl peering at him from behind her legs._

_"Teddy, this is Willow. She just moved in next door! You have a little friend!" Mrs. Duchamp cooed as Willow walked into his room, smiling shyly at him._

_"Hi."_

_"Hi," Teddy said. He would like a friend, sure, but she was a _girl._ He didn't want her to play with him. If she did, she would make him put away his G. I. Joe's so they could play Barbie's or something. And after he worked so hard to put them in a perfect army line!_

_"Can I play?" Willow asked, pointing at the G.'s. "I love G. I. Joe's. They're my favorite but my mom won't buy any for me."_

_"Yeah! Sure!" he cried, excitedly. She wanted to play G. I. Joe's? His mom smiled fondly down at them and shut the door as Willow kneeled down next to Teddy, admiring the G. I. Joe's. "You can help them march."_

_"Where are they marching?" Willow questioned._

_"The beach in Normandy," Teddy answered, smiling proudly._

_"Cool!"_

_It was fair to say that Willow was his first real friend._

_**Age 5**_

_Willow was Teddy's favorite._

_When their mothers signed them both up for kindergarten, the two met three boys named Gordie Lachance, Chris Chambers, and Vern Tessio. The five became friends instantly but none of the kids had a connection like Teddy and Willow. They were best friends ("for life," Willow had promised) and anyone who dared come between them would get shot down...by their imaginary guns, of course. Pow! Pow!_

_Chris Chambers was a handsome kid who was confident and a born leader, even at five. Out of the five kids, he was in charge. In bad times, he always knew what to do. Chris often came to school with bruises and sometimes wouldn't come to school at all, but the other kids didn't know what that meant. They figured he was just clumsy. Out of all the kids, Chris was Teddy's least favorite and Teddy could tell that he was Chris's least favorite too. The reason Teddy always had for despising Chris was that he would get in the middle of his and Willow's friendship. Willow liked Chris-he was her second favorite, behind Teddy, of course-and Teddy was afraid he would steal her away. Willow was _his_ best friend. His. Forever._

_Gordie Lachance was shy and quiet, and only Chris and Willow could get him to come out of his shell (Willow can do anything, Teddy thought, privately). Gordie and Teddy got along just fine. They didn't bother each other, they were good friends. His older brother, Denny (a high schooler!) would sometimes pick him up from kindergarten. And Gordie always had the best stories to tell at storytime._

_Vern Tessio was a scaredy-cat and Teddy let him know it through constant teasing. But Vern was Teddy's second favorite and if anyone else picked on Vern, it was Teddy to the rescue. Vern was funny and random and always happy about everything. And so, so hyper. He was a little on the chubby side and hadn't quite lost his baby fat. Teddy teased him about that, too, but then he would see the sadness creep into Vern's eyes and stop. Teddy knew when enough was enough._

_But out of all of his new friends, Willow was still his favorite. She would always be his favorite._

_Today was one of the days where Chris was really getting on Teddy's nerves. In fact, he had never hated Chris Chambers more than on that day._

_Vern was giggling and throwing flower petals around and Willow skipped towards Chris, wearing her best Sunday dress. They were in Willow's backyard and having Chris and Willow's pretend wedding. Willow had told Teddy last week that Chris was cute and thought he was really cool._

_"Da-dum, da-dum, de-dum!" Willow sang, running up to Chris and planting a kiss on his cheek. "We're married now! Yay!"_

_"You're my wifey now!" Chris proclaimed, grinning. Gordie and Vern ran around the backyard screaming, "MARRIED! CHRIS AND WILLOW ARE MARRIED! HOORAY!"_

_That should be me, Teddy thought, spitefully. I bet Chris doesn't even think she's pretty. Willow is the prettiest girl in the whole world, and she's my best friend and _that should be me._ I hate Chris Chambers. I hate him._

_But he tried not to let the whole pretend marriage bother him because he knew that he and Willow would get married for _real_ someday. And Chris won't get an invitation, he thought smugly._

_**Age 7**_

_The first day Teddy came to school with his glasses on, everyone laughed at him. He had begged and begged his mom not to make him get glasses, especially the ones she picked out. They looked like Coke bottles! But she had insisted. The kids at school already made fun of him because of his hearing aid._

_The kids in his class made fun of him and calling him a dork, pointing and laughing. Even the teacher stifled a giggle when she saw them. And if that wasn't bad enough, even his friends made fun of him._

_"Nice glasses, Teddy!" Gordie had cried, giggling behind his hand and Chris nodded in agreement._

_"Uh...yeah! Haha!" Then he and Gordie burst into laughter. And Teddy was smart enough to know they were laughing at him, not with him._

_"Teddy, you look really stupid!" Vern cried, laughing like a maniac._

_Teddy hated the world. He hated every one of his classmates. He hated Gordie and Chris and Vern. He wanted to cry._

_"Shut up!" Willow barked, putting her hands on her hips and Gordie, Chris, and Vern took a break from their laughter to stare at her. "If any of you say one more word about Teddy's glasses, I will kick you in the nuts sooo hard!"_

_All three of them slunk away, their heads bent in shame. Then Willow turned to Teddy, a smile on her lips. "Don't listen to those wet ends, Teddy," she said, taking off his glasses so she could wipe away the tears in his eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. She put the glasses back on his face and said, "I like your glasses. I think they're cute."_

_From that day on, Teddy vowed to never wear a different type of glasses as long as he lived. And when he went home, he thanked his mother for making him get glasses. Kids still teased him about them, but as long as Willow thought they were cute, that was all that mattered._

_**Age 8**_

_Teddy was in the hospital, staring at the ceiling with his ears all bandaged up. His dad was gone. The man he had been so proud of his entire life was in the nuthouse _because of him._ If he hadn't dropped that stupid plate, then this never would have happened...That was one of his mom's good plates. He should have been more careful. It was all his fault._

_No one understood why he was so sad when his dad got taken away. They thought he would be happy that he wasn't there to hurt him anymore. They all thought he was crazy. But he wasn't crazy. He wasn't. The war just made him tougher! He had to be tough on Teddy, that's why his punishment had been so severe. It was then that Teddy decided he wanted to go into the army._

_Willow was the only one who understood. He told her everything about missing his dad and this whole incident being his fault and she just smiled and nodded and said she understood. "At least you know who your dad is," she had said. "I don't even know my dad's name. He left right after Paige was born. At least your dad loves you. My dad couldn't even stand to be around me so he left."_

_That was the first time Teddy saw Willow cry. Not having a dad bothered her more than she would ever want anyone to know._

_And Teddy liked Willow more than he would ever want anyone to know. On Valentine's Day that year, when Gordie and Chris and Vern were talking about their crushes, Gordie asked Teddy who he had a crush on and all three of them stared at him, eagerly awaiting his answer. He had lied and said no one even though he was itching to say Willow's name. But no one could ever know._

_**Age 9**_

_"I have to tell you guys something," Gordie announced, looking at each boy's face. "but you have to fucking _swear_ not to tell anyone."_

_"Okay, okay, man, what is it?" Chris asked with a grin._

_"Well, um...I kinda like...Willow."_

_Chris and Vern laughed and joked, yelling, "Aww! Willow Lachance!" and made kissy noises._

_"Shut up! I mean, she's one of my best friends and she's really pretty! I mean, come on, it's _Willow!_" Gordie scrambled to explain himself._

_"Yeah, yeah, I guess I know what you mean," Chris agreed and Vern nodded._

_Teddy was quiet, just smirking to himself. You'll date Willow over my dead body, Lachance, he thought as the two other boys continued to tease the skinny brunette._

_**Age 11**_

_"Hey, guys!" Vern cried, scrambling up the ladder and into the treehouse. Gordie, Chris, and Teddy were playing their usual game of cards when the chubby boy interrupted them._

_"What is it, Vern?" Gordie asked, studying his cards._

_"Guess who I think is hot?"_

_"Who?" Teddy asked, completely disinterested._

_"Willow!"_

_Everyone stopped. Chris and Gordie turned to Teddy, who glared at Vern._

_"What?" Teddy asked._

_Vern didn't notice Teddy's glaring or the tension. "Yeah! I mean, I never noticed it before but Willow's smokin'! Don't you guys think so?"_

_Don't kill Vern. Don't kill Vern. Don't kill Vern, Teddy reminded himself._

_"Uh...I guess so. Vern, wanna play some cards?" Chris asked, trying to change the subject._

_"Naw! Can't! I'm too excited! Do you know where Wil is now? I'm gonna go find her!" Vern chirped, not waiting for an answer before barreling down the ladder._

_"Teddy? You alright?" Gordie asked him, nervously._

_"Fine," Teddy snapped. "Are we gonna play this game or what?" He gestured to the cards._

_"You know Willow better than anyone. You know she would never go for Vern-o," Chris said and just the sound of Chambers's voice pissed him off._

_"I SAID I WAS FUCKING FINE! SO DROP IT, ALRIGHT?"_

_After that, the three boys played cards in silence, only talkng to announce their cards or to knock. Teddy was silently fuming. Since when did Vern fucking like Willow? It wouldn't have been so bad except it was _Vern._ Vern, who was his second-best friend. Vern, who was always on his side. Vern, who now had the hots for Willow._

_Chris had liked Willow when he was five. Gordie had liked Willow when he was nine. Vern had liked Willow when he was eleven, and again when he was fourteen. But Teddy was the only one who had loved her all along._

_**Age 12**_

_Teddy couldn't fucking believe this._

_He was sitting in a circle that consisted of Chris, Willow, Maddie, and Vern in the junkyard with a Coke bottle sitting in the middle of them. They were playing Spin the Bottle, which was probably the gayest game ever invented, while they waited for Gordie to get back from Quidaciolio's._

_When Chris spun the bottle and it landed on Willow, Teddy thought he was going to be sick. He turned away when Chris and Willow's lips met. Eight years. Teddy had been waiting eight fucking years to kiss Willow Burroughs._

_And Chris got to do it first._

_Teddy had never been more fucking angry in his entire life. He wanted to, in his own words, 'Rip Chris's head off and shit down his neck.' Nothing Chris's abusive father could ever do to him even came close to the pain Teddy was in right now._

_**Age 13**_

_Teddy had only seen Willow cry twice in the entire time that he's known her: once when he was eight, and once when he was thirteen. He had been climbing the ladder to the treehouse and when he opened the latch, Willow was sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to the chest and sniffling while silent tears slipped down her cheeks._

_"Wil? What's wrong?" Teddy asked, climbing into the treehouse and sitting down next to her._

_"Nothing," Willow lied quickly, wiping away her tears._

_"Don't lie to me."_

_"It's not important."_

_"Well tell me anyway."_

_"Just something Maddie said."_

_"What did she say?"_

_Willow glared at him and then said, "You don't give up, do you?"_

_"You know me," Teddy replied, grinning._

_"Well," Willow began to talk. "Maddie got asked out by that creepy kid in our class, Grant Valmer and she said no because she's dating Chris. And I kept making fun of her about it but I was just fucking _joking. _But then she got all pissy and said, 'Well, at least _I_ get asked out by guys!' And it got me thinking...I'm friends with all the guys in our class, but none of them have ever asked me out-"_

_"Hold on," Teddy interrupted. "That's why you're crying? I thought you didn't believe in love, Wil."_

_"I don't! But I mean..." she bowed her head. "it would still be nice to know that I'm pretty enough to get asked out."_

_"Are you trying to tell me that you think you're not pretty?" Teddy asked, raising an eyebrow and Willow nodded. "That's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard come out of anyone's mouth, and that includes anything Vern's ever said. Wil, when God made you, He said, 'Damn, Jesus, come look at this baby girl I just made! When she gets older, guys are gonna drool on their shoes every time she walks down the street.'"_

_Willow started cracking up at that and Teddy smiled while she was laughing. It was quite possible that Willow was the sexiest creature that ever stepped foot on planet Earth. Not that he would ever admit it, but he got an immedite hard-on every time she walked into a room. Maddie must have shoved her thong too far up her ass when she hinted that Willow wasn't pretty._

_"Thanks, Teddy. You always know how to make me feel better," Willow said, smiling and hugged him close._

_**Age 14**_

_"So, do you think Wil will like our surprise?" Gordie asked as the four of them were up in the treehouse, smoking cigarettes._

_"You guys are gonna have to call off the birthday surprise," Teddy said, taking a drag on his cigarette._

_"What? Why?" Vern asked, panicky._

_"Because Willow has other plans tonight."_

_"With who?" Chris questioned, raising his eyebrows._

_"With me. I'm taking her out to dinner," Teddy announced, proudly._

_"You two finally got together?" Gordie asked and Teddy nodded._

_"Well, it's about damn time," Chris said, putting out his cigarette._

_"Shut the fuck up, Chambers."_

_**Age 15**_

_Okay, so Willow cheated on him. And yeah, that fucking hurt. A lot. But he forgave her. He could see in her eyes how much she loved him and that he meant as much to her as she had to him all these years. Teddy wishes he could just forgive and forget. Just move on. And he might have been able to...except the guy she cheated with was fucking Chris._

_Chambers just couldn't keep his paws off Teddy's girl, could he? Chris always had to be better than him. He always had to prove how much smarter he was, more mature he was, and took every chance he could to make Teddy seem like a crazy shithead._

_So maybe he was exaggerating. But he had every right to be mad at Chris. The stupid asshole had kissed Willow twice, and both times he had a girlfriend. They had kissed two times too many._

_So Teddy didn't feel too bad when he punched Chris in the face and broke his nose as revenge for puttings his lips within eight inches of Willow's. He still didn't feel that bad when he screamed, "Maybe that will teach you to think before putting your hands on my girl!" and then storming away. May that be a lesson to anyone who tried to go near Willow again._

And suddenly, Teddy's answer to Hayley's question was simple: "It's always been her."


	15. Willow Gets Jealous

**Author's Note: I was thinking about this and I realized in "Desperation" when they were all going to the Sadie Hawkins (or Hopkins, I don't really know) dance, it was a **_**girl's**_** choice dance but I made Teddy and Vern ask (or try to ask, in Teddy's case) Willow, even though she should have been the one asking them. I realized this and I was like, "Well, I fucked up." Haha, random. I just thought I'd share my screw-up. :D**

**Love, Rachel**

***Willow's POV***

"Willow," Jayme said, poking me in the shoulder. "I need to talk to you." I shoved my last book in my locker and turned to face her.

"About what?"

"Teddy," she replied, nervously.

"What about Teddy?" I asked, shutting my locker and spinning the dial, tensely. This couldn't be good.

"Chris and I saw him, um, talking to Hayley McMillan by his locker and they were being sort of...flirty."

"Flirty how?"

"They were like...getting kinda close and she was doing the bimbo routine where she laughs at everything he says and bats her eyelashes at him and kept putting her hand on his arm. She was like Maddie with Jamie Gallant," Jayme explained.

"Are Jamie and Maddie still dating?" I asked.

"Willow! That's not the point! And yeah, I think so. So what are you going to do about this?"

"Well, I think it's only fair that I decapitate her and bury her body for talking to my man," I said and Jayme's eyes lit up.

"_Really?_"

"No, you psychopath. I'm just going to talk to Teddy about it." Then the bell rang, signaling the start of lunch and Jayme and I made our way to the cafeteria. Everyone was at our usual table (Gloria included...ugh) except for Teddy who was standing in the lunch line, talking to Hayley...again. And Jayme was right. She kept giggling everytime he opened his mouth and twirling her bleach blonde hair around her finger.

Gordie, Paige, Chris, Vern, and Jayme were looking at me, concerned (I guess Chris and Jayme decided that before they could let me take care of this, they would tell anyone and everyone about the situation), but not Gloria. She had no idea what was going on.

I think they could tell I was upset because when I sat down, Gordie said, "Teddy would never cheat on you, Wil. Not in a million years."

"Yeah. Teddy is about as likely to cheat on you as he is to admit that everyone was right about his dad being crazy all along," Chris agreed.

"What's going on?" Gloria asked but everyone ignored her. Before I could reply to them, Teddy sat down next to me and planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Hey."

"Hi," I said, quietly and everyone else was staring at me, expecting me to say something but I didn't.

"You okay?" Teddy asked, slipping his hand into mine and eating a french fry.

"Yeah. I'm just tired. And I have a headache," I lied. Teddy just kissed me on the cheek again and said he hoped I felt better, and then went back to his fries.

After it was obvious that I wasn't going to say anything, my friends started trying.

"So, Teddy," Vern said. "How do you know Hayley?"

"She's just some girl in my science class," Teddy replied, shrugging. "She's pretty cool."

"What were you guys talking about?" Paige asked.

Teddy shrugged again. "Stuff."

After a while, they all gave up on interrogating Teddy and continued along with their normal lunch, but there was still tension in the air, tension that Teddy didn't pick up on. Throughout the entire lunch, everyone kept sneaking peeks at the both of us. Teddy snuck an arm around my waist and started stroking my arm, which everyone else saw.

"Do you want any?" Teddy asked, pushing his fries toward me after seeing that I didn't have a lunch but I shook my head. "You sure?"

"Yeah."

I found it better for me not to talk much. I was resisting the urge to say, _"Are you fucking her?"_ and it made me sick to just think about it. My stomach was in knots and I didn't want to eat anything or it would just make it worse. Just the thought of Teddy even thinking about another girl...it made me want to throw up.

_That's not fair,_ I thought. _I kissed another boy, Teddy should be allowed to think about other girls. I don't get to be jealous. I don't._

After lunch was over, Teddy walked me back to my locker, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist, pressing my side against his. He stood next to me while I took my books out of my locker and said, "Why don't you play guitar anymore?"

"I still play," I said, slamming my locker shut.

"You've been playing less and less since we started dating," Teddy pointed out.

I shrugged. "I guess."

Teddy gave me a kiss before going to his class, but the kiss was lifeless. It was soft and gentle, but dead. When we kissed before, I used to feel sparks and butterflies in my stomach, but now it was just...nothing. Now when he kissed me, I just wanted to cry.

When I got home, Paige and Jayme were waiting for me and immediately asked me why I didn't ask Teddy about Hayley.

"He's allowed to have other friends," I said, coldly, wishing everyone would just drop this already and forget about it.

"Not friends that are all over him," Jayme pointed out.

"I'm not gonna tell him who he can and can't hang out with."

"Wil," Paige said, shaking her head. "come on. You know that isn't what this is about."

"Whatever. This is _my_ problem, okay? And I don't want to make a big deal out of it so you shouldn't, either," I said and grabbed a banana off the counter before going to my room and locking the door.

Except I forgot that it wasn't just _my_ room anymore so Gloria was there when I went in there. Fuck me.

"Hey, Wil! What's up?" she chirped.

"All of my friends won't mind their own damn business and it's quite possible that the love of my life is cheating on me. How about you?" I asked, sarcastically.

Gloria's eyes widened. "Oh My Gosh! That jerk! How could he do that to you?"

I shrugged and flopped down on my bed, unpeeling the banana. "I don't know, Gloria. I don't know."

**Xxx**

So apparently the rest of my gang gets together to talk about me and Teddy behind our backs. Which is how they came up with the idea for me and the guys to camp out in Vern's backfield, just like old times. Teddy was on board, but totally shocked because he didn't know why our friends wanted to do this again all of a sudden. I knew why, though. They were trying to get me and Teddy together so we could work this thing out.

Right now I'm huddled inside a tent in Vern's backyard with Chris, Gordie, Teddy, and Vern and we're squished together because we've all gotten a lot bigger since we were twelve.

We made random small talk and jokes and Chris and Gordie talked about their girlfriends and Vern complained about not having a girlfriend but eventually Gordie, Chris, and Vern all fell asleep so it was just me and Teddy.

He started kissing me and kissing me, and he was lying on top of me and stroking my body, lovingly. "Willow," he moaned into my lips and started kissing my neck.

"Teddy," I whispered, gently pushing him away. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Now?" he murmured, trying to kiss my neck again but I pushed him away once more.

"Yes. Now."

"What do you want to talk about?" Teddy asked as I sat up.

"There's nothing going on between you and Hayley, is there?"

"Huh?"

"You and that girl, Hayley McMillan. You're not..._into_ her, are you?"

"What? Of course not. Why the hell would you even think that?" Teddy questioned.

"I don't know. Everyone else was saying that you were being flirty with her and they were really worried about it so it made me think that _I_ had to be worried about it-" Teddy cut me off by pressing his lips to mine.

"You don't have to be worried, okay? I have a girlfriend. Besides, Hayley's not my type."

I raised an eyebrow. "What _is_ your type?"

"Sexy redhead. A tomboy who's not afraid to get her hands dirty. Someone who has a dirty sense of humor and doesn't take crap from anyone. And did I mention sexy?"

"She sounds amazing," I said, smiling.

"She is," Teddy replied, kissing the smile on my lips.


	16. Teddy Has a Stalker, Too

***Third Person: Teddy's POV***

"Oh My God. Mrs. Macname is _so_ annoying. She gave me detention for chewing gum in class. How fucking gay is that? And it wasn't like I was popping my gum or sticking it under the desks, I was just chewing it! Ugh. Bitch," Hayley ranted while she and Teddy stood in the lunch line. He could feel Willow's as well as all of his friend's eyes on him, so he tried not to act suspicious.

"She was probably PMSing or something," Teddy suggested and Hayley giggled and lightly punched him in the arm.

"That's _so_ mean! You are _so_ bad. It's probably true, though," she said and shrugged as they moved forward in line.

Teddy studied Hayley, taking in her appearance. If he had never met Willow, he might go out with her. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and she was tan - she was hot. And Hayley was pretty cool, too. Not as cool as Willow, but still cool. She was a little bimbo-ish, but not all that bad. She laughed at everything he said which was annoying but in a weird way he sort of liked it. She was kind of fun to be around.

Teddy glanced over at his table to see everyone staring at him and he rolled his eyes. Willow smiled and waved at him and he did the same back and then turned his back on them. Willow had said that she had no problem with him and Hayley hanging out when he reassured her that they were just friends and that's it, so why did everyone else have to make it such a big deal? Willow had even told him that she was only freaking out about it because everyone else was freaking out about it.

Why couldn't everyone mind their own goddamn business.

"Teddy! The line moved, come on! Move your ass!" Hayley pestered, hopping from one foot to the other and he moved up in line. She leaned in close to him and whispered into his hearing aid, "What happened to your ear?"

He jumped. Fuck! He had not been expecting that. Teddy hated it when people talked about his ear, or touched it. Willow was the only one he let touch his ear (sometimes she kissed it during sex..*wink wink*) or talk about it without getting her head bitten off. It made him feel uncomfortable to talk about it. No one else but Willow understood.

"Nothing," he muttered, snatching up a tray and continuing in line, plucking up things that he wanted to eat and put it on his tray.

"You can tell me," Hayley reassured him, following him with her tray.

"It's nothing."

"I mean, I've heard rumors and I just wanted to know the truth. I've always wondered about it." She put her hand on his arm and he yanked it away.

"I don't want to talk about it." Then Teddy quickly paid for his food and walked back to his table.

"Hey, Teddy," Willow said, smiling.

"Hey," he grumbled.

"What's wrong?"

"Hayley pissed me off. It's nothing."

Willow looked slightly pleased but the look disappeared as quickly as it came. But I guess she had the right to be jealous after what they talked about after they made up in the tent last night:

_Teddy leaned back from the kiss and Willow was beaming. "Well...I wasn't really tired during lunch today. I was just jealous and pissed off and shit," she confessed and then blushed. "Sorry I lied."_

_"It's okay," Teddy said. "And there's something about Hayley that I didn't...mention."_

_"And that is...?" Willow asked, raising her eyebrows._

_"She asked me out."_

_"What?"_

_"I said no because I had a girlfriend and then we agreed to be friends, so..." Teddy started to babble once he saw that Willow wasn't at all pleased. "It's not a big deal, really, I don't even think she liked me that much and I never even considered it cuz I knew I had you and-"_

_"Why didn't you tell me?"_

_"I didn't want you to get mad."_

_"I'm not mad."_

_"Yes, you are."_

_Willow just huffed. "I thought you said I didn't have to be worried."_

_"You don't! She might have a thing for me, but I don't have a thing for her."_

_"You promise?"_

_"Yes." Willow sighed and then lean over to kiss him._

"Oh."

**Xxx**

"Psst. Teddy," Hayley whispered, tapping him on the shoulder. It was during science class the same day after lunch and the blonde girl was making him mad. She insisted on talking to him every time they were within ten feet of each other. It made it hard for him to pretend that she didn't have a crush on him. He turned around and she slipped him a note.

_Ugh. I feel like a girl,_ he thought has he opened it:

_Hi!_

He pulled out a pen and responded:

**Hey**

_Ugh. My lab partner is so annoying._

**That sucks.**

_Sorry if I made you mad at lunch. I was just curious about your ear. It's totally cool if you don't want to talk about it._

**Ok.**

_Sooo what's up?_

**Nothing.**

_Me either. Except for detention after school. Ugh. Thanks, Mrs. Macname._

**Haha, sucks to be you.**

_I know, right? I hate my life._

**I'm sure your life hates you too.**

_Hahaha!_

**Yeah.**

_:)_

**I have to go. Class is almost over. Bye.**

Teddy handed the paper back to Hayley and rested his head on the desk. Goddamn, she was annoying. He did not want to talk to her. The bell rang and he bolted out the door so Hayley couldn't catch up to him. But just in case she was still following him, he made his way to Willow's locker and gave her a big, sloppy kiss.

"Uh...hey. What was that for?" Willow asked, opening her locker.

"Nothing. Can't I just kiss you?" he asked, scoping the hallways for Hayley.

"Yes, but you slobbered on me like a dog," she said and stuck her tongue at him. "Don't do it again."

"I'll do what I want," Teddy replied and licked her tongue.

"Eww. You're a pig."

"Want to hang out after school? I was gonna go spy on Milo Pressman today and I wanted you to come."

Willow smirked and rolled her eyes in a playful way. "Sure, whatever. Sounds romantic," she said, sarcastically.

"Cool. I need some time away from Hayley or I'm going to shoot myself," he said and Willow laughed.

"Don't shoot yourself. Shoot her."

"Good idea."

At that moment, the bell rang and they both ran to their next class, things finally good between them again.


	17. The Special Box

***No One's POV***

Jayme collapsed on the couch next to Paige with a sigh. "I have so much homework it's not even funny."

"I know. Being in the college courses is a pain in the ass," Paige agreed. "Willow's lucky. She and Teddy and Vern get hardly anything."

"Where _is_ Willow?" Jayme asked, looking around.

"In her - ahem - _our_ room. She just got back from spying on the junkyard guy with Teddy."

Jayme perked up. "Really? _Yes._ Teddy and I are going to burn Maddie so bad!"

"I know. Willow told me your guys's plan."

"You don't sound very excited about it," Jayme accused.

"That's because I'm not," Paige said. "Teddy could get hurt. I mean, I know he's insane and everything but you encouraging him to crash a motorcycle isn't helping. And I know Teddy, he's not going to wear a helmet. He could _die._"

Jayme rolled her eyes. "Relax. He's not going to die. And he _is_ wearing a helmet. Willow and I will force it on his head if we have to."

"Whatever."

Jayme was about to respond, but at that moment, Willow burst out of the door of her room with something tucked under her arm and yelled, _"Don't touch my stuff!"_ and then slammed the door.

"Whoa. What was that?" Paige asked as Willow collapsed in between them on the couch.

"Gloria looked in my special box," Willow huffed.

Paige gasped. "The one that has your birth control and condoms and porn in it?"

"You look at porn?" Jayme asked Willow, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm a teenage girl. I get horny. Leave me alone," Willow said to Jayme, and then turned to Paige. "No. Not that one. That's my sex box. Gloria looked in my special box."

"You have a special box?"

"Yes."

"What's in it?" Jayme asked, turning the TV off.

Willow frowned, reluctant to answer. "Notes."

"Huh?"

"That Teddy gave me."

"Oh, like love notes?" Paige guessed.

"Some are," Willow said. "and some are notes that Teddy and I wrote to each other in class when we were bored. And some are...dirty."

"Like note sex?" Jayme asked and Willow nodded. "Can we read them?"

"_No!_"

"Alright, alright, so what happened with Gloria?" Paige asked.

"So I got back from spying on Milo Pressman and smoking a joint with Teddy-"

"_Wait._ You're high?" Paige wondered.

"Maybe a little. Anyway, I went in my room and saw Gloria sitting on my bed and she was reading the last letter with all the rest of them in a pile next to her and the box empty meaning she already read them. _Meaning she read _all_ of them._ And, well, I flipped out."

"Oh no," Jayme said.

"Yeah. So Gloria started crying and yelled at me to get out so I yelled, 'Don't touch my stuff!' and now...here we are."

"_Crap, _Wil," Paige said, sighing.

"I know."

**Xxx**

Paige peeked over across the room at Willow, who was snoring on her bed, squeezing her special box close to her chest.

Gloria had blabbed to Sam about Willow yelling at her and then he flipped out on Willow at dinner. And did Mommy Dearest stick up for her daughter? No. She just looked at Willow and told her to try to be nicer and then went back to her dinner.

But that wasn't the point. The point was, that ever since Willow told her about her special box, Paige had been dying to read some of the notes in there. She tiptoed over to Willow's bed, glancing at Gloria who was curled up in her bed across from them. Paige quietly took the lid off the box, and Willow snorted and rolled over, making her jump. She quickly grabbed a handful of notes, put the lid back on the box and ran out of the room.

There were four notes. Paige took out a flashlight and sat at the kitchen table to read them:

**November 20, 1961**

**Willow,**

**I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to write this. I've never written a love note before. But I guess I could give it a shot.**

**I'm really lucky to have you. When you agreed to go out with me yesterday, it was the best day of my life. I almost peed myself, I was so happy. Oh crap. That's not romantic, is it? Oh well. I know you and you're probably laughing right now while reading this so I guess it's okay. I know everything about you and you know everything about me and that's fucking awesome. You're my best friend and I love you so much.**

**I loved you ever since I met you. I know that every guy says that to their girlfriend but for me it's true. Four-year-old love. That's intense. Haha. You're the only one who really understands me and I love that about you and I hope it's the same way for you about me.**

**Your body is perfect in every way and you're **_**so**_** pretty and sexy that it's not a surprise that Chris, Gordie, and Vern all had a crush on you sometime growing up. But I was in love with you all along. **_**And**_** I got you in the end. I WIN. You're like one of the guys but you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met and there's been so many things that I've wanted to tell you over the past ten years like how perfect you are and how much I love you but I couldn't say them because I was too much of a pussy. But I can say them now because you're my girlfriend now. Damn, I never thought I'd be able to say that.**

**Your eyes are like the ocean or the sky or something else that's really blue. Don't even get me started on your lips. They're so soft and perfect and they're even more fun to kiss than I ever could have imagined. I remember the first time I ever smoked was when I was almost ten when I saw you smoking outside your house and you gave me your cigarette and there was something about that cigarette, maybe the fact that it had once been resting in between your lips, that got me hooked on smoking just like that.**

**There's nothing left to say except that no one will ever love you as much as I do and I will do everything I can to make you happy. So, I hope you didn't think that this was totally pathetic and...I love you. A lot.**

**-Teddy**

Paige was shocked. That was _actually_ kind of romantic. In a weird, Teddy kind of way. And she knew her sister well enough to know that Willow had loved it. She moved on to the next letter:

**February 14, 1962**

**Hey! Happy Valentine's Day, Wil. I love you3**

_Hi, Teddy. Happy Valentine's Day to you, too._

**Aren't you forgetting something?**

_Oh, I'm sorry. I LOVE YOU, TOO, TEDDY DUCHAMP.3_

**That's better. :)**

_TD + WB = L.O.V.E._

**Fuck yeah. Did you like your present?**

_The roses and chocolates in my locker? YES. Very traditional.(:_

**But those chocolates are fattening. You should share them with me at lunch.**

_Ha! Nice try. :D_

**It was worth a shot.**

_Do you like your present?_

**Huh? You got me a present?**

_Of course I did. You didn't notice?_

**Notice what?**

_Didn't you WONDER why I wore a skirt today? I never wear skirts. I don't even own a skirt. I had to borrow Paige's._

**So why did you wear it?**

_For easy access. I'm not wearing underwear, you know. *wink wink* Happy Valentine's Day, Teddy.3_

**Holy shit. Are you fucking serious? I'm having trouble containing my horniness, Wil.**

_Don't fight it, Teddy, don't fight it.(:_

**You should ask Paige if you can keep that skirt.**

_You're right. I doubt she'll want it back after what we're about to do with it. :P_

**No, I mean, it could be your "Fooling Around" skirt. You could wear it on days that you're horny and this way, I'll know. :D**

_Hmm. Not a bad idea. Maybe I'll do that._

**PLEASE DO IT!**

_Okay, okay, I'll ask her! Damn. So what do you say? After class: you, me, the janitor's closet?_

**Can't wait. 3**

"Wil, gross!" Paige hissed. She had wondered why Willow had insisted on keeping that skirt. Now she was glad that she had given it to her. Paige wasn't sure if she wanted to read any more, but she couldn't stop now:

_December 3, 1961_

_Ugh. Another person asked me why I'm dating you. I'm so sick of people asking me that._

**Me too.**

_People are so fucking stupid. We're obviously dating because we love each other. Asking why I'm dating or you or why you're dating me just makes it awkward for everyone. Ugh. I hate people._

**Yeah. People need to mind their own damn business.**

_Exactly. Everyone's always like, "Why are you dating Teddy? He's crazy." or "He's dangerous." It's like, wow. I'm so glad you're concerned for my safety, Person I've Never Talked To Before._

**...**

_What's wrong?_

**Do people really tell you I'm crazy?**

**Because I'm not.**

_I know you aren't._

**Do you think I'm crazy?**

_NO, Teddy. Whenever people say you are, I tell them to shove it up their ass because they don't even know you. I mean, they do but they don't _really_ know you. Like I do._

**...**

_Stop doing that. I didn't mean to make you upset. :(_

**Do people think I'm crazy because of my dad? Because he isn't crazy.**

_Teddy..._

**Or is it because I dodge trucks?**

_Teddy. Stop. Who cares what people think? Let's just talk about something else._

**Ok. What do you want for christmas?**

_Ehh. I really don't care. You?_

**Same.**

_Okay, I lied. I know what I want. But I feel like a fruity teenage girl if I say it._

**Just tell me.**

_Um. Okay. I want you to write me another love letter. Like the one you wrote me the day after we went on our first date._

**Really? I thought my love letter was crappy.**

_Well, it wasn't. 3_

**I didn't know it was such a big deal.**

_It WAS._

**Why?**

_Because. I'm Willow Burroughs and boys just don't say things like that to me. Ever._

**Well, they should. :)**

_:D_

**I know what you can give me for christmas.**

_What?_

**YOUR VIRGINITY. :DD**

_HA! HA and HA again!_

**:'(**

_In your dreams, Duchamp._

**I ALREADY have sex with you in my dreams. I want it to actually happen!**

_We haven't even gotten to second base yet. I'm not a whore._

**Then we should get to second base!**

_We haven't even been dating for two weeks._

**Two weeks, tomorrow.**

_I'm not having sex with you. I'm not like my fucking mom, okay?_

**Oh. That's what this is about.**

_Yeah._

**Sorry.**

_It's okay._

**Having sex with the person you love doesn't make you a whore. Or like your mom. And I do love you.**

_I love you, too. And I know. But I'm just not ready...okay?_

**Ok.**

_And sex changes everything. Just look at Chris and Maddie. I just want to enjoy what we have for a little while longer._

**K. But if you ever get really horny and have the sudden urge to do it with someone...you know where to find me. ;D**

_Hahaha! I'll keep that in mind.(:_

Paige found herself smiling at that note. She, herself, sometimes wondered why Willow was dating Teddy and she saw that she was starting to like Teddy more and more as she read those notes. He was such a sweetheart.

_July 16, 1962_

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEDDY DUCHAMP! You're 15 now! Which is a good thing, too, because it was getting pretty weird dating a guy younger than me. I felt like a pedophile.(:_

**Haha, thanks. And I know. It sucks having a summer birthday. I just turned 15 and now you're almost 16. :(**

_Don't be sad. It's your birthday! And you're dating an older woman. :P_

**Cougar. Grrr.**

_Was that you growling?_

**Haha. Yes.**

_You're funny. :D So what were you talking about earlier? A dream that you had...?_

**It wasn't a dream. It's more like...um...**

_Yeeeess..?_

**A fantasy that I've always had.**

_Alright. Let's hear it._

**Really?**

_Yeah! I wanna hear this._

**Corporal Teddy Duchamp is standing in the middle of the battlefield with bullets flying all around him and he's firing his gun into the dark, not knowing if he's hitting anyone when suddenly he's hit! He flies backwards and lands on his back, with blood pouring out of his shoulder. The bullet wound is too close to his heart for comfort and soon the paramedics take him away to the tent for the injured. He's slipping away into the light and he's glad because the pain is just too much but then this face appears. The most beautiful face he's ever seen and she's smiling at him and telling him everything is going to be okay and he's going to be fine and she keeps saying it over and over again: "You're going to be fine. You're going to be okay. You don't have to be worried, everything will be okay." She keeps saying it so he figures it must be true and he realizes she's a nurse and sees that her nametag says WILLOW and he thinks that that's the prettiest name he's ever heard. He's in his own private room and she's working on him and only him and he's glad because he wants all her attention. The girl has red hair and blue eyes and she's so beautiful that she makes him forget all the pain. Then she finally leans back and says, "You're all stitched up. You're going to be fine." And then the soldier grabs her and kisses her and she kisses him back and then she's lying on top of him, taking all of his clothes off saying that he doesn't have to do any of the work because she's the one taking care of him. They're both completely naked and he's playing with her boobs and she's rubbing his dick, softly and she's so good that it makes him cum. They keep kissing until he's inside her and they're making love and it's the most magical moment of both their lives. Then Nurse Willow gets off of the soldier and puts all her clothes back on and runs a hand through his hair and tells him to go to sleep. He says he doesn't want to go to sleep but she kisses him and tells him she'll be there when he wakes up and it's a promise so he falls asleep and dreams about the pretty nurse. He wakes up but he's afraid to open his eyes because he's afraid she won't be there but she is and they have sex all over again. The end.**

_Wow. And people say you're illiterate._

**I know. It's insulting.**

_Did the soldier and the nurse live happily ever after?_

**Yeah. :)**

_Did they get married and have lots of beautiful babies buy a house with a white picket fence?_

**YES.**

_Yay for happy endings.(:_

**Sooo...what did you think? About my fantasy?**

_We could do that. :D_

**Really?**

_Yeah. Anything for you, Soldier ;D_

**I love you. So...you wanna go up to my room now?**

_Yup.(:_

"Oh, gross," Paige said, turning a flashlight off and returning the letters to Willow's secret box. She got back into her bed and thought, _That was so gross. I did not need to read Teddy's creepy fantasies about my older sister._ Then she thought about how totally unrealistic Teddy's fantasy was. If you just got shot, you can't have fucking sex with someone. You would probably die. Willow probably realized that, too, but she was too nice to tell him that.

Paige didn't want to read any more of those notes. She had only read four of them and she already knew _way_ too much about Willow and Teddy's relationship. She can only imagine what Gloria knew. She read the whole fucking box! Paige shivered. Talk about invasion of privacy.


	18. More Trouble

***Third Person: Teddy's POV***

Teddy always bought lunch at school. Always. But today he asked his mom to make him one and he brought in a brown paper bag. Everyone had been shocked - especially Hayley, who usually saved him a spot in line. But she was the whole reason that he wasn't buying lunch so he didn't feel too bad when he saw the shocked/hurt expression on her face.

Besides, he didn't have time to worry about Hayley today because Willow was wearing her "Fooling Around" skirt and he had to scarf down his lunch so the two of them could sneak off someplace private and...well, you know. But Hayley had other plans. When he got up to throw his lunch away, she pounced, asking why he hadn't bought a lunch that day.

"I don't know," he lied, throwing the paper bag in the garbage can.

"Well, there's something I _really_ need to just get over with, okay?" Hayley asked, nervously and then mashed her lips to his. Teddy didn't know how to react. The only other girl besides Willow that he had ever kissed was Maddie, and that was when they were twelve and playing that stupid Spin the Bottle game at the junkyard. It had hardly even been a real kiss - just a peck on the lips.

But Maddie's and Hayley's lips felt the same. All covered in lip gloss and smashed up against his in a way that it felt awkward. But Maddie had been a lot more experienced than Hayley, and she slobbered in his mouth a little. As soon as she mashed her lips onto his, he pushed her away.

"Hayley! What the fuck? I told you, I have a girlfriend!" he cried.

"Well, I know, but-" she stammered.

"Hayley, listen. _I love my girlfriend._ Okay?"

"Um...okay. But can we still be-"

"Friends? No," Teddy said and then walked back to his lunch table.

"Um...what was that?" Willow asked, raising her eyebrows and crossing her legs, blocking all easy access to her vagina, signaling that there would be no fooling around that day.

"Wil, _she_ kissed _me,_ I swear."

"I believe you," she said, but she was in a pissy mood all day. And all of his other friends kept shooting glares in his direction. _And_ Willow wore her "Fooling Around" skirt for nothing.

This Hayley bitch was more trouble than she was worth.


	19. Different Person

***Paige's POV***

The silence was making me crazy. I was sitting, alone in the living room, watching cartoons. Teddy and Willow had been up in Willow's room earlier talking about Hayley and the kiss and their relationship and stuff like that. To be honest, I sort of expected them to break up. I mean, they both kissed someone else. That can't be healthy. Doesn't that mean that they secretly want to see other people or something?

But no. They came bouncing down the stairs an hour and a half later, glowing and laughing and holding hands. I told them what I thought and they just shrugged and said that breaking up wasn't an option. Then they ran off somewhere. In a way, it's true. Teddy and Willow were so close and so in love that they were like the same person. It was like they shared a brain or something.

After seeing them, I called up Gordie and told him to come over. Now I was waiting for him, but he seemed to be taking his good, sweet time getting here. After what seemed like forever, he showed up and I told him the whole Teddy and Willow situation. I expected him to grin and roll his eyes and then we would joke about their messed up relationship but he just got this grave look on his face and said he doesn't know how Teddy does it.

"What do you mean?" I asked, surprised.

"Putting up with Willow and all that crap all the time," he replied. "If you ever cheated on me, I would never forgive you."

I was in shock. Who the hell _was_ this person? Because it wasn't my boyfriend. "Gordie...chill out, okay? This is Teddy and Willow's problem."

"Why did you bring it up then?"

"I was just telling you what happened! God."

"Whatever."

There was an awkward silence after that, and Gordie made an excuse to leave. I was glad. I didn't want whoever he was becoming sitting in my kitchen anymore.


	20. The Break Up

***Paige's POV***

"Wow, um...this is going to be hard," I whispered, blinking back tears as I stared at my hands. Gordie looked at me, curiously.

"What's going to be hard?" he asked.

He knew I was mad at him. Marty DeSpain grabbed my ass today in the hall and Gordie punched him in the face, and got suspended. This was the last straw. I just...couldn't do this anymore.

"Gordie, you're not acting like yourself. You're just...jealous all the time and you're not the same person that I fell in love with. God, that sounds cheesy..." I smiled softly as tears started to fall.

"So what? Teddy and Chris are allowed to be jealous but I'm not?" Gordie snapped, harshly and I cringed.

"That's what I'm talking about, Gordie! You never used to talk to me like that!" I cried with a sob. "I think we both need...some time."

"What are you saying?"

"I think we need to break up."

"_What?_" Gordie cried, jumping up. We were in my old room with the door shut. Lenny was off with his dad somewhere so he wouldn't be back for a while to claim it. "So I get a little jealous and you want to call it quits? I thought you loved me!"

"I love the old you," I said, calmly.

There was a little more arguing and some yelling from Gordie but finally, he left. And we were still broken up. Willow knocked on the door and slowly opened it.

"What did you do to Gordie?" she asked but then saw that I was crying and softened. "What happened?"

"We broke up," I whimpered.

"What? That bastard dumped you?" Willow yelled, angrily.

"No, no, I...I dumped him."


	21. Gordie's Depression

***Third Person: Gordie's POV***

Gordie heard footsteps passing outside of his door and wasn't at all surprised when neither of his parents stopped to knock and see what was wrong. He thanked God it had been a Friday when Paige broke up with him, so he would have the weekend to put himself back together before everyone saw him at school again. He also thanked God that it was only Sunday so that he would have one more day to said put himself together.

He shifted underneath the blankets, debating whether or not he should peek out to see what time it was. He eventually decided against it, and would rather lie under the covers in darkness and depression forever and ever. Except forever and ever meant the next time he would have to take a shit.

Which meant about twenty more minutes.

Gordie groaned and staggered out of bed, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, just trying to move. He finally reached the bathroom and shoved down his boxers and sat down on the toilet, the sharp cold making him shiver. He buried his head in his hands, wallowing in self-pity.

Paige. Oh God, _Paige._ How could he have been so stupid? How could he fuck up so royally? How could he _lose_ her?

It was all fucking Teddy's fault. If he hadn't acted so jealous when other guys were around Willow, he wouldn't have caught on and done the same for Paige. Gordie shook his head. No, no, it wasn't Teddy's fault. He was just naturally a jealous psychopath, and Gordie...wasn't. How could he think the whole 'jealous boyfriend' think would work with Paige? It worked with Willow, but...that was _Willow._ Paige was...sensitive and smart and kind and funny and beautiful... Gordie groaned again and cursed himself for losing her.

If only all the fucking guys at school would stop hitting on her. He would never have acted like a jealous creep if all the guys would just leave her alone. Like _Marty._ God, what an asshole. Who the hell hits on someone else's girlfriends? Especially if that person is one of your good friends?

If Chris were here, he would accuse him of blaming everyone else instead of putting the blame where it really belonged: on himself.

Gordie sighed. Imaginary Chris was right. It wasn't Teddy's fault and it wasn't Marty's fault. It was his fault. _His_ fault. He acted like a jealous, insane asshole and Paige was right to break up with him. Hell, he _was_ a jealous, insane asshole! He took her virginity from her when she was fourteen! He never deserved her, anyway.

Gordie bit back a strangled sob and reached over for toilet paper to wipe his ass (and his eyes). He remembered the first time he ever saw her..._really_ saw her. He, Chris, Teddy, Vern, and Willow were passing through Willow's house to get something to drink before they went back to the baseball field when Paige was watching TV with a bag of chips next to her. She said hi to them like she always did and then went back to her program.

But as it turned out, Willow's mom went grocery shopping with her hooker money and the gang decided to stick around to eat the good food. God knows their own parents don't feed them anything decent. The show Paige was watching wasn't at all interesting and his friends' conversation wasn't anything he wanted to take part in, so Gordie looked around the room and started to...notice things. Like that Willow's house was even more run-down that he realized. Like that it always had a strange odor attached to it, something that made you want to vomit. Like that there were only one picture of each Willow and Paige around the house. Like that Paige had gotten curves. At first, he was ashamed for noticing such a thing - she was Willow's _little sister,_ for Christ's sake! - but then he started to notice even more things about her. Like that she had grown breasts, too. And that she had a pretty smile. And that Paige looked a lot like Willow, without the red hair and freckles, but in the face. And that he had never noticed before how pretty she was.

It was kind of sad to admit that he had a crush on her ever since then. Which was why he was always happy to include her on the gang's activities. He had crushed on her until he kissed her at that dance. And now... Gordie groaned again and pulled up his boxers and walked back to his bed, happily enveloping himself in the warm covers once again. He would be happy to never leave his bed again.

The door opened and footsteps thudded to the edge of his bed. More than one footstep, to be exact. Puzzled, Gordie wondered if his parents had actually grown a heart and come to check on him. That foolish thought was washed away when someone patted his leg and Chris's voice said, "Come on, man, get out of bed."

Gordie tried to suffocate himself with his pillow, praying that he would die. Just die and all the suffering would stop. "Gordie, come on! We haven't seen you since Friday afternoon! Come to the Blue Point Diner with us!" Vern chirped.

"Will Paige be there?" he grunted. Awkward silence. "Then no."

"Well, at least he's talking," Teddy muttered to Chris and Vern, who nodded in agreement.

"Gord-o, you gotta get your ass up. We're hanging out, just the four of us. No Paige, no Willow, no Jayme. Just us guys," Chris tried to convince him, attempting to pull the covers off the brunette to reveal his face.

"No!" Gordie grunted, wrestling Chris for the covers but his best friend was much stronger than he was and ended up winning the fight.

"Fuck you," he grumbled as Chris threw the blanket on the floor.

"Get dressed," Teddy commanded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now." Gordie opened his mouth to offer a smartass reply but then sighed when he saw the serious look on Teddy's face. He was irritated and not to be messed with. Gordie sighed and walked into the closet to find something to wear, defeated.

He was in for an afternoon of Chris's meaningful pep talks, Vern cheerfully trying to offer him advice, and Teddy rolling his eyes and telling him to suck it up and stop moping. This day was going to be a disaster.


	22. Motorcycle Stealing and Party Crashing

***Willow's POV***

"I don't know if we should do this," I whispered to Teddy as we were crouched down in the bushes outside the fence of the junkyard, peering in at Milo Pressman polishing up his newly finished motorcycle.

"What? Why not?" Teddy whispered back.

"I just mean that Gordie and Paige _just_ broke up. They need us right now. Maybe...maybe this isn't the time to get your revenge."

"But today's Maddie's birthday! What about my plan? If we don't do it today, it'll be ruined!" Teddy hissed. "Besides, this will cheer them up! Gordie and Paige wouldn't want us to be miserable just because they are, right?"

I sighed. "I guess you're right. They've both been so depressed lately...maybe they just need a little Teddy craziness to make them feel better," I said and Teddy winked. "It works for me."

"Hell yea - he's leaving! This is it, Wil!" he whispered, excitedly and pulled me deeper into the bushes as Milo Pressman's crappy old car went rumbling out of the junkyard and Chopper's yapping could be heard long after the car was out of sight.

"Okay, let's go," Teddy said and started to get up, but I grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him back down so I could kiss him long and hard. "What was that for?"

I shrugged. "Just because I love you." Teddy smirked and pulled me up with him so we could climb the fence.

"Would you look at this baby?" Teddy asked, running his hand on the glossy red motorcycle. "Look at how sweet that is. I'm almost sad that I have to wreck it."

"Maybe _you_ should get a motorcycle," I said and Teddy cocked an eyebrow.

"Ya think?"

"Yeah. Now where are the keys?" I asked and Teddy searched the motorcycle, and yanked them out of the ignition.

"Ha! The old fuck left them in the ignition! This is too easy!" Teddy jammed the key _back_ into the ignition and got the motorcycle to start and sat on it. He patted behind him and cried, "Come on, Wil, get on!"

I grinned and slid onto the seat behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist as the motorcycle vibrated underneath me. "Does Milo have a helmet?" I asked.

"Helmets are for pussies!" Teddy argued but then quickly snatched the helmet off the ground and put it on my head. We tore out of the junkyard and back into town, the wind rippling our clothes and whipping back our hair (well, mostly mine). I held on tightly to Teddy as we flew on the streets of Castle Rock. People stared in envy as we went by and all I kept thinking was that this is the greatest feeling in the world. My house loomed into view and Teddy slowed to a stop in front of my driveway.

"I guess this is where I get off, huh?" I asked, pretending to pout.

"Sorry, Wil, but I don't want you on here when I crash it," Teddy said and I shoved the helmet on his head before getting off the bike. "If you and Paige hurry, you can catch the end of it."

"Okay," I agreed, giving him a kiss goodbye before he sped out of sight. I ran up to the house to get Paige only to find Sam standing on the porch, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What was all that?" he asked, coldly.

"Teddy and I riding a motorcycle. Got a problem with that?" I asked, pushing past him and going into the house.

"Yes, actually, I do. That boy is dangerous, Willow. I don't want you to see him anymore."

I scoffed. "Ha! That's funny."

"I'm serious. He's a bad influence on you."

"Mom doesn't think so. She loves Teddy," I pointed out, putting my hands on my hips.

"Your mother doesn't know what the hell she's talking about half the time."

"Well, as far as I see it, if Mom says I can date Teddy, there's nothing you can do about it, asshole," I mocked and then ran up the stairs to go get Paige. Teddy was about to ruin Maddie's sixteenth birthday - she wouldn't want to miss this.


	23. Ruining Maddie's Birthday

***No One's POV***

"Alright, sweetie, just a few more steps," Mr. Faulkner said as he led Maddie to the driveway with his hands over her eyes. Mrs. Faulkner followed them, clapsing her hands over her mouth to keep from squealing aloud. The other people at the party, which consisted of most of the sophomores at Castle Rock, were quiet as a blinded Maddie stumbled up to her new, shiny car. The gloss on the baby blue paint glistened and every boy and girl at the party glared enviously at Maddie while she couldn't see them.

Maddie smiled, brightly, showing her pearly whites as her father stopped moving and she waited to see her new present. Of course, she _knew_ it was a car. She was turning sixteen and her parents were rich - it _had_ to be a car!

"Daddy, can I open my eyes yet?" Maddie pleaded and Mr. Faulkner smiled, fondly down at his only daughter.

"Yes, you can," he moved his hands away from her eyes. "Happy birthday, angel!"

Maddie squealed and jumped up and down at the sight of her new car and hugged each of her parents. "It's _perfect!_ Oh my God, I love it!" Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner soon went back in the house and left their daughter to her car and her party. The beer was starting to come out and the kids at the party were eager to drink up and forget that _they_ certainly weren't getting a car for their sixteenth birthday.

"Jamie, isn't it just the perfect car?" Maddie asked, her brown curls framing her perfect face as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's waist. He puffed on his cigarette and gazed at the car.

"Perfect for you," he answered.

"Just like you," she gushed and pressed her glossed lips to his rough ones. She was absolutely glowing right now. She had the perfect boyfriend, the perfect car, and was throwing the perfect party.

Nothing could ruin this night.

The rumble of an engine could be heard and the partygoers turned their attention to it. Maddie tried to ignore it and continue kissing her boyfriend, but Jamie was turning toward it, too. "Is that Teddy Duchamp?"

"_WHAT?_" Maddie shrieked, turning in that direction to see Teddy coming hurtling towards them in a motorcycle. "What is _he_ doing here? _He was not invited!_" Maddie was fuming. That little troll was going to ruin her birthday! It soon became clear to Maddie and the rest of the teenagers that Teddy was going way too fast and he wasn't slowing down - and he was headed straight for them. There were screams and people running out of the way, a few fled from the house as Teddy got closer and closer, a look of twisted determination on his face as he focused on the car.

Then Maddie realized... "_No!_" she screamed, running towards her car but Jamie grabbed her arm, holding her back. Maddie watched in horror as Teddy slammed his motorcycle into the side of her new car, creating a large dent. He slid off the seat and his head hit the pavement with a sickening _crack!_

Jamie and Maddie ran towards the scene, not even realizing that they were the only two left in the Faulkner's yard. "My _car!_" Maddie moaned, mascara running down her face as she inspected the bashed in side of her automobile. "_Look_ at it, Jamie! Do you know how much this is going to cost to fix?" She let out a wail. "My new car!"

"Who fucking cares about your car?" Jamie snapped, knelt down beside Teddy. "Teddy? Teddy, man, you okay? Can you hear me?" He shook Teddy's body a little and gently slapped his face but he wasn't coming to.

"Maddie? Maddie, what was all that racket?" Mrs. Faulkner called as she and her husband came running outside. "Oh my God! Is that...?"

"That's Norman Duchamp's boy!" Mr. Faulkner cried.

"Call an ambulance!" Jamie ordered, his eyes sharp and serious, and Mrs. Faulkner nodded and ran back inside the house.

In a short time, the ambulance arrived and put Teddy on a stretcher. Just as they were putting the stretcher in the back of the ambulance, two figures appeared in the distance. They got closer and closer and Jamie realized it was two girls, one a redhead and the other a blonde. He let out a small laugh when he realized it must be Willow. How did that girl know?

Willow ran up to the house, panicked and out of breath with a younger girl who Jamie assumed was her sister behind her. "W-what hap-" she asked, breathing hard and Jamie pointed to Teddy in the back of the ambulance.

"Teddy!" Willow yelped and she and her sister started to run towards the ambulance but Maddie's voice was cold enough to make them stop in their tracks:

"He did this on purpose, didn't he?"

Willow slowly turned around to face her old best friend and her more recent enemy. "Let's just say it was a birthday present from your cousin, Jayme," she said and then she and Paige hopped into the back of the ambulance and it sped down the road.

"Jayme," Maddie growled, her eyes flaring. "That..._BITCH!_"


	24. At the Hospital

***Willow's POV***

"Oh my God! Oh my God, is he okay?" Jayme cried, frantically as I walked out the hospital room into the hallway, where the whole gang was waiting.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. His mom is in there right now," I said and plopped down in a chair outside the door.

"I hope you don't mind, but - oh God, I _have_ to know! What happened with Maddie when you got there?" Jayme asked.

"Jayme! Teddy's hurt!" Paige cried. "Youre being insensitive!"

"Right. Sorry."

I waved Paige away. "No, no, it's fine." Then I explained what happened at the party when I arrived. When I was done, five gleeful faces were staring back at me.

"_She was really that furious?_" Jayme screeched. "_This is great!_"

"Yeah, Teddy is such a badass," Vern agreed, grinning.

"I can't believe he did that," Chris said, shaking his head in disbelief but he couldn't hide his grin. Even depressed Gordie cracked a smile.

"And to make it even better, Jamie Gallant and Maddie got in a huge fight when they were here earlier," Paige said and I nodded.

"Yeah, I think they might've broken up because Maddie was crying a lot."

"_YES!_" Jayme screamed, jumping up and pumping her fist in the air. I watched her jump around for a while until Mrs. Duchamp stuck her head out the door and scolded her for being so loud while Teddy had a headache.

I perked up. "He's awake?"

"Yes. You can come in one-by-one, if you like. Willow, you can go first." I followed Mrs. Duchamp inside and saw Teddy grinning up at me from the hospital bed and I was sickeningly reminded of eight years ago when he was in this very same hospital with his ears bandaged up.

I snapped out of my funk and smiled down at my boyfriend. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good for a guy with a cracked skull," he replied, grinning.

"Teddy, that's not funny! You could have been seriously hurt! What were you thinking?" Mrs. Duchamp cried.

"I was thinking I wanted to do something really bitchin' for Maddie's birthday," Teddy said with a smirk and his mother glared at him.

"That's _not_ funny, Theodore-" I scoffed. He must really be in trouble now. "-you _ruined_ that poor girl's car!"

"Mom, it doesn't matter, she's stinking rich!"

"That's not the issue! You're in _big_ trouble when you get home, young man!"

"Uh...I'll just wait outside," I said, awkwardly, and slipped out the door.


	25. The Plan

"Willow, there's something that Sam and I need to talk to you about," my mom announced to me over dinner later that week. Paige glanced at me as if she could tell that this was going to be bad. Gloria and Lenny just stared at me with their big, dumb eyes and stupid fucking smiles plastered on their faces.

"Okay," I said, slowly, studying them both.

"I thought that the three of us should have this conversation in private but Sam believes that the other kids," she gestured to Paige, Gloria, and Lenny. "should hear this, too."

"Fine. Will you just get on with it?" I asked, impatiently. There was a tight knot in my stomach, as if I could just _tell_ that this was going to be bad.

"Well, after the recent accident, Sam and I aren't sure if you should be spending so much time with the Duchamp boy," my mom explained and my heart plummeted twenty feet.

I raised my eyebrows, trying to keep my cool. "'The Duchamp boy'? Since when is he 'the Duchamp boy'? You've known Teddy for more than ten years, Mom, don't act as if he's some delinquint kid that you don't know."

I could tell that Sam was glaring at me, but I did my best to ignore him, my eyes still set on Mom, who just sighed. "I know, but lately it seems that Teddy _is_ a delinquint and he seems like a bad influence on you."

"Mom, we're teenagers! We make mistakes! That's what we _do!_ That doesn't mean Teddy's a bad influence on me!" I said, my voice rising as well as my temper.

"Willow - "

"We go to the same school! We have the same friends! He lives next door, for Christ's sake! I couldn't _not_ talk to Teddy, even if I tried!"

"Well, then try harder!" Sam snapped, his eyes filled with rage and a vein in his neck pulsed. "Your mother and I are serious about this, Willow! We don't want you to have _any_ contact with this boy!"

"Well, you might as well just cut me off from Gordie and Vern and Jayme and Chris, while you're at it!" I yelled, getting to my feet. Sam did, too.

"We will if that's what it takes!"

I turned to my mother, who was looking extremely uncomfortable and a little scared. "Mom, come on. You've known Teddy as long as I have. He's obnoxious and a little reckless, but he's _not_ dangerous. He's basically a good kid. You _know_ this."

"Our decision is final," Sam said, determined to have my attention back on him. I almost yelled, "I wasn't talking to you!" but decided to keep my mouth shut.

"Mom, he's brainwashing you," Paige spoke up and Sam turned to glare at her.

"Shut up! You'll talk when you're spoken to, girl!"

"_Don't talk to her like that!_" I screamed, and then took a deep breath to calm myself down and turned to my sister. "Come on, Paige. Let's go have dinner at Jayme's house."

"GET BACK HERE!" Sam shrieked after us as the two of us walked out the door.

"Sam, calm down!" Mom scolded and tried to soothe him.

As we turned the street on our way to Jayme's house, I saw that Paige was shaking. Before I opened my mouth to ask her what was wrong, she said, "We have to get that asshole out of our house and away from Mom."

My face split into a grin. "Now we're talking. Do you have a plan in mind?"

"I have something, but it's not very good..."

We spent the ten minutes it takes to get to Jayme's house going over the plan to save our family, and by the time we got to her house, we couldn't wait to tell Jayme what was going to go down.


End file.
